The Internet of Things (IoT) has altered our world, connecting billions of devices—from smart thermostats and wearables to industrial sensors, medical equipment, and vital infrastructure. As I explored in my book, "Inside Cyber: How AI, 5G, IoT, and Quantum Computing Will Transform Privacy and Our Security," this boom of connectivity fosters innovation but also poses one of the most critical cybersecurity concerns of our time.
According to recent sources, the situation is dire. In 2025, assessments of millions of devices found that home networks received an average of 29 attacks per day, with global IoT attack attempts reaching 13.6 billion in just the first nine months of the year. Businesses still struggle with enormous visibility gaps; according to one study, nearly half of IoT connections to IT systems come from high-risk devices, and 32.5% of devices on corporate networks are unmanaged. These data emphasize a painful reality: IoT security is not keeping pace with implementation.
Key IoT security challenges
1. Insecurity by design and weak authentication
Many IoT devices ship with default passwords, hard-coded credentials, or limited security protections. Manufacturers frequently put functionality, cost, and speed to market ahead of strong protections. This makes devices easy candidates for brute-force attacks, credential stuffing, and hijacking.
2. Lack of visibility and management
The sheer breadth and diversity of IoT ecosystems create blind spots. Unmanaged or shadow devices—smart TVs, cameras, or sensors—connect to networks without IT control. Attackers use this to get initial access, migrate laterally, and compromise sensitive systems.
3. Resource constraints and patching difficulties
Strong encryption, sophisticated security, and frequent updates are difficult to implement on IoT devices because they often have limited processing power, memory, and battery life. Firmware vulnerabilities remain for years, and many devices lack ways for secure, over-the-air patching.
4. Expanded attack surface and lateral movement
With billions of endpoints (projected to rise further), every gadget becomes a possible access point. Poor network segmentation allows exploited IoT devices to serve as pivots into corporate IT/OT settings, enabling ransomware, data exfiltration, or disruption of operations.
5. Botnets, DDoS, and large-scale attacks
IoT botnets remain a significant danger, exploiting infected devices for enormous DDoS attacks or malware distribution. Attackers increasingly utilize AI to automate scanning, exploitation, and adaptive attacks, growing risks enormously.
6. Supply chain and heterogeneity risks
Devices come from thousands of vendors with uneven standards, protocols, and update cycles. Supply chain compromises can embed vulnerabilities before deployment, while unencrypted connections expose data to interception.
7. Combination with new technologies
IoT overlaps with AI (for smarter attacks or defenses), 5G (low-latency enabling real-time exploitation), and OT in critical infrastructure. This magnifies hazards, including cyber-physical attacks that inflict real-world harm, such as meddling with industrial systems or medical devices.
These issues are worsened by legislative complexity, limited industry standards, and the fast evolution of threats—often exceeding defensive capabilities.
Pathways forward: mitigating IoT risks
Addressing IoT security demands a multi-layered, proactive approach:
-
Secure-by-Design principles – Mandate strong authentication (e.g., unique credentials, MFA where possible), encryption for data in transit and at rest, and frequent vulnerability assessments from the inception.
-
Zero-Trust Architecture – Implement identity-centric controls, continuous verification, micro-segmentation, and behavioral analytics to limit lateral movement.
-
Visibility and asset management – Use tools to identify, track, and categorize devices. Use SBOMs (Software Bill of Materials) to track components and vulnerabilities.
-
Patch management and lifecycle security – Give decommissioning insecure equipment, end-of-life planning, and automated upgrades top priority.
-
Threat intelligence and AI defenses – Leverage AI for anomaly detection and rapid reaction while combating AI-powered attacks through employee training and red-teaming.
-
Cooperation and standards – To promote international standards and threat sharing, support programs like the EU Cyber Resilience Act, NIST IoT guidelines, and public-private collaborations.
-
Resilience planning – Build redundancy, incident response strategies, and cyber insurance to manage implications of breaches.
The stakes are high: a single susceptible IoT device can lead to data breaches, physical disturbance, or network-wide corruption. Yet, the same connectedness enabling hazards also permits greater monitoring and response.
Organizations that regard IoT security as a strategic priority—not an afterthought—will turn this problem into a competitive advantage. As we navigate this hyper-connected era, proactive investment in updated frameworks, governance, and collective action is critical. The future of digital trust rests on it.
