- In the past, several websites as well as Internet connected devices have fallen prey to attacks by hackers.
- The bill will help firms in securing their businesses. Certain simple steps can also be implemented by these firms.
In order curb the growing trend of cyber-attacks, the government of USA has proposed a bill called the Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2019. The bill aims to promote the sale of only those internet-connected devices with built-in security features which meet the necessary standards.
Previous incidents
Several popular websites like Amazon, Paypal and Twitter have had to face the brunt of cyberattacks in the past. Connected household devices such as routers, security cameras, cable boxes and baby monitors had also been successfully taken over by hackers to launch DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks on DNS providers.
In July 2019, one of the largest bank in the USA, Capital One, came under cyberattack in which hackers got access to personal information of over 100 million credit card applicants.
It was reported that many of these attacks happened largely because of a lack of proper cybersecurity measures. A lot of devices ran un-updated software whose passwords were quite easy for hackers to decode.
What can be done?
Besides the above cybersecurity bill, certain simple steps can be undertaken by businesses to protect their valued data – never settle for default settings while setting up your device, remember to include a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numerals and symbols for a strong password. And if possible, do enable password lockout and encryption features on your connected devices.
The widespread implementation of IoT-based technologies has facilitated ease in doing business. More and more interconnected devices have allowed them to gather real-time information and remotely make decisions. At the same time however, malicious attacks have increasingly posed a security threat. Therefore, it is highly important that cybersecurity is given a high priority to keep the attackers at bay and protect the interests of the people.
