IoT Poses Opportunities for Cybercrime, Says FBI

The FBI warned of possible cybercrime opportunities that have emerged due to an increased number of IoT devices. “Unsecured or weakly secured devices provide opportunities for cyber criminals to intrude upon private networks and gain access to other devices and information attached to these networks,” the Thursday alert said. “Devices with default passwords or open Wi-Fi connections are an easy target for cyber actors to exploit.” Among recommendations the FBI offered consumers are to: isolate IoT devices on their own protected networks; disable UPnP on routers; consider whether devices are ideal for their intended purpose; purchase devices from manufacturers with a trusted security record; update devices with security patches when available; change default passwords and open Wi-Fi connections; and be aware of device capabilities, especially if the device is used for medical purposes, is capable of remote operation or transmits data.