New research by the leading cybersecurity solution NordVPN shows that people in Australia take the security of their IoT devices seriously. Almost 89% of Australians have some kind of IoT device in their household. However, respondents in Australia are cautious about possible risks, with almost 9 in 10 taking measures to protect the devices.
“As the research shows, the more devices people own, the more vulnerable and thus careful they usually are. Manufacturers surely have to take responsibility for the safety of their products, but users play a big part in their own cybersecurity,” digital privacy expert at NordVPN Daniel Markuson comments.
The survey on IoT devices also showed what cybersecurity habits people in different countries lack, what smart devices they usually purchase, and who, in their opinion, should be responsible for keeping those devices protected.
What is the problem with IoT devices?
IoT devices, by their very nature, collect and send information. This might be done securely and for a specific purpose, such as an encrypted message to tell your heating to turn off. But it might also be leaky, either through bad encryption (or none at all) or through giving away extra information. For example, the internet-connected camera on your front door might let you know when a visitor is there, but, if someone else is watching, it could also reveal when the house is empty, or when children are home alone. In 2020, dozens of Amazon Rings were hacked, resulting in a lawsuit against the company.
“IoT device makers are in a rush to sell the gadgets as quickly as possible. This means that they are shipping them out with the minimum features required for them to function, shortening the development process and cutting costs as much as possible. This is great for device makers, but horrible news for consumers. When things are rushed, they leave huge gaps in security,” Daniel Markuson adds.
User behavior is just one extra aspect of a potential security vulnerability in light of all the technical and structural issues. Still, there are often simple steps we can all take to improve the security of the devices and networks in our homes or offices.
Compared to other countries, Australians are protective with their IoT devices
Overall, the vast majority of us have some kind of IoT or connected devices in our homes, even if it’s just a router. In fact, only 12.3% of the people surveyed did not have any of the listed devices. Australia saw an active use of IoT devices, with only 11% of people saying they had none of the devices in their homes. They also took some actions against the risks, with only 12% taking no measures to protect the devices.
On the other hand, other countries need to improve their habits. The UK showed the worst results, with 19% of people with IoT devices taking no protective measures. The US showed similar results, with 17% of people with IoT devices taking no action. People in the Netherlands and Canada had the best devices-to-behaviors ratio, although France scored well mostly by having much fewer devices (only 77%).
What can be done to protect the privacy of IoT devices?
41% of users think that manufacturers should be responsible for the safety of the devices they produce, while 56% see it as their own responsibility. The research shows that the main vulnerabilities users are worried about are deprecation (76%), followed closely by privacy issues (75%) and design problems (particularly encryption) (75%).
Daniel Markuson provides some tips for all IoT device owners:
- Look into the privacy issues associated with the devices you purchase. Review tech sites that dig into privacy and security issues or buy devices certified by organizations like ioXt.
- Read the privacy policy and other terms and conditions.
- Create sophisticated passwords. Use a secure password manager, like NordPass, in case you forget passwords easily.
- Keep devices patched and up to date. Check if your devices update automatically, and, if not, make sure they are running the latest firmware.
- Turn off features you don’t use. Having unused features running in the background opens up unnecessary vulnerabilities or privacy issues.
- Install VPN on your router. VPNs can help prevent man-in-the-middle attacks by encrypting your traffic, covering many of the issues with poor encryption on IoT devices.
You will find more information on possible vulnerabilities and the ways to be protected on NordVPN’s research page.
METHOD
We conducted the survey via CINT. A total of 7,000 people were surveyed, with 1,000 representatives from each of the following countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, UK, and US. Participants formed representative samples across gender, age, family situation, and income levels. The questions revolved around which IoT devices people had in their homes, what measures they took to secure them, and whose responsibility they think it is to ensure the security of IoT devices. The survey results were cross-referenced with a new user-focused taxonomy of the main vulnerabilities IoT devices are exposed to. The timeline and taxonomy were generated through a review of the key literature on IoT security and vulnerabilities, as well as looking at press coverages of major attacks.
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