• Sign In
    • Research
    • Partner
    • Customer
    • Employee
  • Create Account
  • EN
  • magnifying glass search icon to open search field
  • Get Started
  • Contact Us
  • Resources
  • Get support
  • Under Attack?
Palo Alto Networks logo
  • Products
  • Solutions
  • Services
  • Industries
  • Partners
  • Why Palo Alto Networks?
  • Company
  • More
  • Sign In
    Sign In
    • Research
    • Partner
    • Customer
    • Employee
  • Create Account
  • EN
    Language
  • Get Started
  • Contact Us
  • Resources
  • Get support
  • Under Attack?
  • Explore Zero Trust

How Connected Teddy Bears, Coffee Makers and Connected Cars Are Challenging Security Teams

Palo Alto Networks Santa Clara, CA Sep 16, 2020 at 12:01 AM

In a Palo Alto Networks study, technology leaders acknowledged they need to step up security to face an IoT influx

SANTA CLARA, Calif. –September 16, 2020 – Smart teddy bears, implanted heart monitors, connected cars and other connected devices are regularly connecting to corporate networks, prompting technology leaders to warn that significant action should be taken to prevent these devices from being used to hack into businesses.

That’s according to a new report on practices for securing the internet of things (IoT), commissioned by Palo Alto Networks, the global cybersecurity leader, based on a survey of 1,350 IT business decision-makers in 14 countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

Overwhelmingly, respondents report a rise in the number of IoT devices connecting to their networks over the last year. Among the connected trash cans, light bulbs and hand sanitizer stations, one red flag emerged: 41% of respondents said they need to make a lot of improvements to the way they approach IoT security, and 17% said that a complete overhaul is needed, amounting to more than half of those polled.

Nearly 1 in 4of those surveyed at organizations with at least 1,000 employees reported that they have not segmented IoT devices onto separate networks – a fundamental practice for building safe, smart networks. Only 21% reported following best practices of using microsegmentation to contain IoT devices in their own tightly controlled security zones.

“Traditional networks are ill-equipped to handle the surge in adoption of IoT devices,” said Tanner Johnson, senior cybersecurity analyst at Omdia. “Device behavior baselines need to be established to allow for new recommended policies to help stop malicious activity. For instance, it would raise a flag if a connected thermostat started transmitting gigabytes of data to an unfamiliar site.”

Palo Alto Networks released the survey as part of its ongoing efforts to shed light on security threats posed by the surge in deployment of internet-connected devices. Business Insider Intelligence forecasts there will be more than 41 billion IoT devices by 2027, up from 8 billion last year.

“Devices that employees innocently bring onto an organization's network are often not built with security in mind, and can be easy gateways to a company’s most important information and systems,” said May Wang, senior distinguished engineer at Palo Alto Networks.

“To address that threat, security teams need to be able to spot new devices, assess their risk, determine their normal behaviors and quickly apply security policies.”

To download the report, please visit: https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/resources/research/connected-enterprise-iot-security-report-2020

Survey Methodology

Palo Alto Networks commissioned technology research firm Vanson Bourne, which polled 1,350 IT business decision-makers in 14 countries across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks, the global cybersecurity leader, is shaping the cloud-centric future with technology that is transforming the way people and organizations operate. Our mission is to be the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life. We help address the world's greatest security challenges with continuous innovation that seizes the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, analytics, automation, and orchestration. By delivering an integrated platform and empowering a growing ecosystem of partners, we are at the forefront of protecting tens of thousands of organizations across clouds, networks, and mobile devices. Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. For more information, visit www.paloaltonetworks.com.

Palo Alto Networks and the Palo Alto Networks logo are trademarks of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other trademarks, trade names, or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.

Article

What is a denial of service attack (DoS) ?

A Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack is an attack meant to shut down a machine or network, making it inaccessible to its intended users.
April 4, 2022

Datasheet

PA-400 Series

Palo Alto Networks PA-400 series ML-Powered NGFW (PA-460, PA-450, PA-440) brings Next Generation Firewall capabilities to distributed enterprise branch offices, retail locations, and midsize businesses.
March 23, 2022

Article

What is a Zero Trust Architecture

Zero Trust has become one of cybersecurity’s most used buzzwords. It’s imperative to understand what Zero Trust is, as well as what Zero Trust isn’t.
May 17, 2022

Article

What Is SASE?

Secure access service edge, or SASE (pronounced “sassy”), is an emerging cybersecurity concept. It is the convergence of wide area networking.
April 13, 2022

White Paper

Architecting The Zero Trust Enterprise

Understand how to become a Zero Trust Enterprise
November 23, 2021

Datasheet

PA-3200 Series Datasheet

The PA-3200 Series secures all traffic, including encrypted traffic, using dedicated processing and memory for networking, security, threat prevention and management.
March 23, 2022

Get the latest news, invites to events, and threat alerts

By submitting this form, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Statement.

black youtube icon black twitter icon black facebook icon black linkedin icon
  • USA (ENGLISH)
  • AUSTRALIA (ENGLISH)
  • BRAZIL (PORTUGUÉS)
  • CANADA (ENGLISH)
  • CHINA (简体中文)
  • FRANCE (FRANÇAIS)
  • GERMANY (DEUTSCH)
  • INDIA (ENGLISH)
  • ITALY (ITALIANO)
  • JAPAN (日本語)
  • KOREA (한국어)
  • LATIN AMERICA (ESPAÑOL)
  • MEXICO (ESPAÑOL)
  • SINGAPORE (ENGLISH)
  • SPAIN (ESPAÑOL)
  • TAIWAN (繁體中文)
  • UK (ENGLISH)

Popular Resources

  • Blog
  • Communities
  • Content Library
  • Cyberpedia
  • Event Center
  • Investors
  • Products A-Z
  • Tech Docs
  • Unit 42
  • Sitemap

Legal Notices

  • Privacy
  • Trust Center
  • Terms of Use
  • Documents

Popular Links

  • About Us
  • Customers
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Manage Email Preferences
  • Newsroom
  • Product Certifications
Report a Vulnerability
Create an account or login

Copyright © 2022 Palo Alto Networks. All rights reserved