IoT Security Challenges

The Internet Of Things continues to be a security challenge, Haley said. He said Symantec found that the threats against IoT devices are real, with 18 active families of malware targeting IoT devices specifically. Haley also highlighted the Mirai botnet malware, which was leveraged for the DDoS attack against Dyn last fall and later released into the wild. Symantec tested the proliferation of IoT device attacks itself, as well, Haley said, putting a honeypot out that was attacked in less than two minutes. What is also clear, Haley said, is that IoT devices are not as protected as they should be from this rising tide of threats. He said the vast majority of devices are using weak or default passwords, meaning there is no brute force needed to break into devices.

"When I think about the future and what we're going to be dealing with, this is probably one of the more frightening areas for us," Haley said.