90% of Consumers Think Security Should be Built into Connected Devices

90% of Consumers Think Security Should be Built into
Connected Devices

LAS VEGAS, BLACK HAT – 26 July 2017 – IoT security is top-of-mind for consumers across the globe,
according to new research from Irdeto, the
world leader in digital platform security. The Irdeto Global Consumer IoT Security Surveyfound
that 90% of consumers polled from six different countries, including Brazil,
China, Germany, India, UK and US believe it is important that a connected
device has security built into the product. Additionally, 78% of the 7,882
consumers surveyed indicated they are aware that any smart device connected to
the Wi-Fi in their home has the potential to be targeted by a hacker, resulting
in a cyberattack that could steal the personal data stored on the device.

The survey also found that awareness of cyberthreats targeting
connected devices actually increases with age. Of all consumers surveyed
online, 72% of millennials (18-24 years old) indicated that they are aware that
any smart device connected to the Wi-Fi in their home has the potential to be
targeted by a hacker, compared to 82% of consumers 55+. This indicates that
older generations may be more savvy about IoT security or more cautious
regarding IoT technology than millennials, potentially leaving this younger
generation more open to a cyberattack.

When asked if consumers or manufacturers are responsible for
implementing security, the results indicate that both parties play an important
role. More than half of consumers around the globe (56%) think that it is the
responsibility of both the end-user and the manufacturer of the product to
prevent hacking of smart devices. Alternatively, only 15% of consumers globally
think they are responsible, while 20% feel the manufacturer of the device is
responsible for cybersecurity. In China, more consumers than any other country
surveyed (31%) stated that it is the responsibility of manufacturers.
Brazilians led all countries surveyed (23%) in the belief that it is the responsibility
of the end-user to prevent hacking of connected devices.

“While consumers across the globe believe that IoT devices need
to have security manufactured into the product in order to prevent against
cyberattacks, it’s encouraging that they also recognize the important role they
play in IoT security,” said Mark Hearn, Director of IoT Security, Irdeto. “Today’s
connected world needs consumers to be vigilant about security threats. On the
device manufacturer side, there must be a better “defense-in-depth” approach to
cybersecurity that integrates multiple
layers of security into a system. This approach, combined with
ongoing security updates to protect against the latest threats, is critical to
mitigate attacks targeting IoT technologies.”

While many consumers stated that they are aware of cyberthreats
targeting connected devices and the importance of building security into these
devices, some countries are less concerned about their smart devices actually
being hacked. Germans expressed the least concern with nearly half (42%)
stating that they are not concerned about smart devices being hacked. On the
opposite end of the spectrum, Brazilian smart device owners expressed the most
concern with 88% of those surveyed saying they were concerned about their
connected devices being hacked.

Regarding the number of smart devices consumers own, 89% of
those surveyed have at least one connected device in their home. In addition,
81% of consumers across the globe admitted to having more than one connected
device in the home. India led all countries with a staggering 97% of consumers
stating that they have at least one smart device in the home, compared to only
80% of US consumers, the lowest of all countries. The survey also found that
the typical number of connected devices in homes across the globe is around
four per household.

“As the number of connected devices in homes and businesses
grows, hackers will increasingly look for easily exploitable vulnerabilities
that exist in smart devices,” said Jaco Du Plooy, Vice President of Cloakware, Irdeto. “As
a result, it is important to disrupt a hacker’s business model by making it
difficult to reverse engineer software and leverage code vulnerabilities, thus
making it less cost-effective to execute an attack. By enhancing security
strategies to disrupt a hacker’s business model, manufacturers are better able
to defend against cyberattacks targeting IoT technologies to protect consumers,
their brand reputation and revenue.”

To protect against cyberattacks targeting IoT technologies, Cloakware for IoT
Security by Irdeto is a battle-proven solution
that protects customers’ IoT applications and connected devices from reverse
engineering, tampering and circumvention, keeping hackers and cybercriminals
out of their products. Irdeto’s multi-layer, ever-evolving security prevents
hackers from accessing their systems and running malicious, damaging code.
Irdeto’s technologies create a hardened perimeter of security around a
company’s most valuable assets, ensuring that only the software specified runs
on their systems and devices.

Click here to download the full report
on the survey results: http://bit.ly/2v2YRzQ

The survey was commissioned by Irdeto and conducted online from
June 22, 2017 – July 10, 2017 by YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 7,882 adults
(aged 18+) in six countries, including Brazil, China, Germany, India, UK and
US. Figures have been weighted appropriately to be representative of adults in
each country (e.g. nationally representative, urban representative, or online
representative). The overall ‘global’ figures have been given an even weighting
for each country to produce an ‘average’ value.

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Irdeto is
the world leader in digital platform security, protecting platforms and
applications for media & entertainment, automotive and IoT connected
industries. Our solutions and services enable customers to protect their
revenue, create new offerings and fight cybercrime. With nearly 50 years of
expertise in security, Irdeto’s software security technology and cyber services
protect over 5 billion devices and applications for some of the world’s best
known brands. Our unique heritage as a subsidiary of multinational media group
Naspers (JSE: NPN) means that we are a well-established and reliable partner to
help build a more secure future. Please visit Irdeto at www.irdeto.com.