Avast Blog_Threat Research : Avast experts walk you through next year’s most menacing

[jasonX]

Avast shares us relevant information about the IoT threats that menaced the world in part 1 of their predictions. Below are excerpts from the Avast Blog courtesy of the Avast Threat Intelligence Team and pertinent links to more information. Read on below. 

Avast experts walk you through next year’s most menacing IoT threats in part 1 of our 2019 predictions

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. This is also true in the world of security. This year, we tracked a growing threat trend — that when just one device in a home or small business (usually the router) is compromised, then the rest of the devices on the network become easy to compromise. With connected devices — known as the internet of things — growing faster than any device category in history, it’s increasingly difficult to buy appliances and home goods that do not have a connection to the internet.

From connected lights to coffee makers and smart speakers to door locks, IoT devices will continue to drive a class of attacks aimed at exploiting their weaknesses in configuration, security flaws, and consumers’ low interaction with their settings. Therefore, the main theme of our predictions is based on how infiltrating an IoT device could easily lead to breaking into the perimeter where IoT devices with compromised modems reside.

As we begin the new year, we are publishing a 3-part series on 2019 predictions. We will cover IoT, mobile threats, and AI in these posts, all developed from insights and analysis by the Avast Threat Intelligence Team. In this first post, we are focusing on our top IoT threat predictions for 2019, including those from 2018 that continue to present challenges...

More Info on "2019 predictions: The internet of (vulnerable) things"
https://blog.avast.com/iot-predictions


Avast Threat Intelligence Team_Are smart homes vulnerable to hacking?

Focusing on smart homes, you might be asking yourself: Why is a protocol like MQTT necessary, if it could put my home’s security and privacy at risk? Manually controlling a few smart devices is not a problem, but as they increase in number in our homes, they take more time to manage, and become a burden. It’s like managing a big computer network manually. At some point, without automation, managing connected devices becomes more work than the convenience is worth. Then along come more smart devices that connect with each other and cooperate and do tasks on their own without human interaction. For example, your garage door opens automatically as you arrive back home from the office, your house lights turn on, the thermostat is configured to a comfortable temperature, and your stereo begins to play jazz music in the living room.


Are smart homes vulnerable to hacking?
https://blog.avast.com/mqtt-vulnerabilit...mart-homes

Avast Blog
https://blog.avast.com/