As we are becoming more reliant on connected devices to manage our homes, businesses and personal lives cybersecurity has been elevated to the top of many users’ priority lists. The threats IoT devices are facing are quite different from the ones faced by traditional computers and require a different set of tools to safeguard themselves.

It’s not surprising that the number of malware attacks on IoT devices are on the rise. Each type of device has its own operating system software, as well as its own functionality. The absence of standard software can make it difficult to create security tools that can be used on multiple devices.

In 2016, hackers used an easy hack on IoT devices to launch one of the most massive botnet attacks in history, destabilizing parts of the Internet and making websites like The New York Times, Brian Krebs’s site and French web host OVH inaccessible for hours. The attackers scanned the Internet for default usernames and passwords for IoT devices, then amassed an army of them to launch the DDoS attack.

IoT and antiviruses play a essential role in defending against these kinds of threats. This kind of security software, however, must be more vigilant in order to monitor how IoT devices communicate with each other as well as with the outside world. It must also ensure secure password net-software.info/how-to-delete-backup-files-in-windows-10/ practices, two-factor authentication, and current patching. These measures, when used with other security tools to guard against IoT threats, provide an effective defense.