The annual IoT report by security provider Zscaler warns of such “shadow IoT devices”, which, according to analysis, have increased considerably in recent years. The problem is that even the internal IT experts often do not know which devices are connected to the corporate network – and even less what impact they have on the security architecture. The most common unauthorized IoT devices include IP cameras, smartwatches and in-car multimedia systems. New exploits are now targeting precisely these devices. It is also alarming that, according to security experts, the number of IoT-based malware attacks have increased exponentially.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS) names further reasons why cybersecurity is so important in the IoT: apparently the increasing level of interconnection dramatically increases the number of vulnerabilities. As the Internet of Things is also a fusion of the real world and the digital world, the former protective wall between the two is disappearing. This means that cyberattacks can increasingly have a real impact.