Top Highlights
- Over 65% of connected assets in modern networks are non-traditional IT devices, including IoT, OT, and IoMT, with industries like financial services, healthcare, and oil/gas experiencing higher device diversity and security risks.
- IP cameras are the most common IoT asset, with 40% containing vulnerabilities and over 1,400 unique flaws identified, exemplifying significant exposure due to pervasive use and outdated firmware.
- Device diversity across industries leads to complex security challenges, as ecosystems include thousands of vendors, device functions, and operating system versions, often with weak configurations and unpatched vulnerabilities.
- To address these risks, Forescout introduced eyeSentry — a cloud-native, continuous visibility and risk mitigation platform designed to manage and secure dynamic, device-rich environments beyond traditional point-in-time scans.
The Issue
Forescout Technologies’ research team, Vedere Labs, conducted a comprehensive scan across 10 million devices within 700 organizations to understand and address IoT security risks in modern networks. Their findings reveal that 65% of connected assets now fall outside traditional IT systems, encompassing diverse and often vulnerable devices like IP cameras, printers, and VoIP phones—many of which harbor known vulnerabilities. This device heterogeneity, especially pronounced in sectors like finance, healthcare, and oil and gas, creates significant security blind spots, with attackers exploiting weakness through weak configurations, outdated firmware, and lack of proper network segmentation. For example, the study highlights how hackers used unsecured IP cameras as entry points for ransomware, exemplified by the Akira gang’s attack, illustrating the danger posed by unmanaged devices. The report emphasizes the urgency for continuous, context-aware visibility and risk-based remediation to mitigate these vulnerabilities, leading to the launch of Forescout’s new cloud-based tool, eyeSentry, aimed at improving exposure management in increasingly complex hybrid environments.
Security Implications
The expanding xIoT ecosystem, as revealed by Forescout, presents a pressing threat that could quickly infiltrate your business’s critical infrastructure, leading to potential security breaches, operational disruptions, and substantial financial losses; if your organization fails to implement comprehensive, adaptive security controls that keep pace with the rapid proliferation of connected devices, cybercriminals could exploit vulnerabilities, compromise sensitive data, and cripple essential functions—ultimately damaging your reputation, incurring costly downtime, and jeopardizing compliance with industry regulations.
Possible Actions
Timely remediation in the context of rapidly expanding xIoT ecosystems is essential to maintaining the security and integrity of critical infrastructure. As these interconnected systems grow, vulnerabilities can quickly become entry points for malicious actors, making swift action vital to prevent potential breaches, operational disruptions, or safety hazards.
Identify Risks
- Conduct continuous asset inventories
- Detect and categorize new devices and network segments
Protect & Control
- Implement network segmentation for critical assets
- Enforce strong authentication and access controls
- Deploy firewalls and intrusion prevention systems
Detect Anomalies
- Use real-time monitoring and anomaly detection tools
- Establish baseline behaviors for devices and networks
Respond Quickly
- Develop incident response plans specific to xIoT threats
- Isolate affected devices swiftly to prevent lateral movement
Recover Effectively
- Regularly update and patch device firmware and software
- Backup configurations and operational data
- Perform root cause analysis to prevent recurrence
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Disclaimer: The information provided may not always be accurate or up to date. Please do your own research, as the cybersecurity landscape evolves rapidly. Intended for secondary references purposes only.
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