The Internet of Things Exposes Users to Security Vulnerability

In January, we shared a somewhat facetious headline describing how hackers were using refrigerators and televisions to send malicious waves of spam mail, but the growing problem is a serious one for personal data as well. According to security research from Helwett Packard, 70 percent of devices commonly referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT) pose security threats.

These devices – which range from water sprinklers to refrigerators – can share private data like social security numbers, banking information, addresses, birth dates and sometimes even credit card information.

According to the security research team at Hewlett Packard, most IiT devices lack proper authentication and password protection:

An attacker can use vulnerabilities such as weak passwords, insecure password recovery mechanisms, poorly protected credentials, etc.