IoT devices are becoming a target to maximum security risks

The rise in adoption of the Internet of Things devices has brought a scenario where the connectivity has become better. Nevertheless, there is a highly likely chance that people might be putting their homes at risk of cyber attacks, according to new research.

Avast security firm in association with Stanford University has reportedly found out that around 40 per cent of the entire households around the world sport a single Internet of Things devices, at the very least.

The research also suggests that most of the devices feature outdated security, and they are connected to the internet by using the single default password. And this leaves the household related to the internet, including workplaces and offices at an inglorious risk.

So far, Avast has scanned more than 83 million Internet of Things devices located around 16 million homes across the world. The result was that 100 vendors manufacture 94 per cent of all the Internet of Things devices, which mostly comprises television and media devices.

There is a significant downside, and that is the study also concluded that 7 per cent of these devices still uses outdated protocols such as Telnet and FTP. Moreover, this also suggests that millions of Internet of Things devices are entirely vulnerable. On the other hand, the study also uncovered that around 15 per cent of home routers act as a gateway by which the hackers can launch multiple attacks.

According to Avast, the surveillance Internet of Things devices like security cameras are also prone to hacking along with printers and routers. A single Mirai botnet attack on these devices can enlist maximum damage. There is also a rise in botnet attacks in the past three to four years; this is why most of the companies need to upgrade the security protocols of the Internet of Things devices.

According to Zakir Durumeric, the global security committee has been discussing the problems that are necessarily associated with the ever-growing Internet of Things devices. But home routers keep these devices hidden for a long time.

**This post was published on https://www.techradar.com