As Internet of Things (IoT) smart devices become more common in our daily lives, new research report released on Monday found that 40% of users believe manufacturers are responsible for their devices’ security.
Nearly 88% of users polled said they have an IoT device in their home.
According to research study conducted by NordVPN, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service provider, nearly half of the users blame manufacturers for the security of those devices and hence do nothing to secure them.
IoT devices are recognised to be among the most vulnerable to hacker attacks, because of the valuable information they collect and the inadequate security measures they usually have installed in place.
Daniel Markuson, a cybersecurity expert from NordVPN, said “So, the fact that only 55.9 per cent of research respondents felt the obligation to protect them shows that users don’t understand how rushed the manufacturing of those devices can be,”
Experts are concerned that people place too much responsibility in manufacturers, making them vulnerable. This is especially true now that cybercrime is on the rise all around the world.
Indeed, if assessed as a country, cybercrime, which is expected to cause $6 trillion in worldwide damages by 2021, would be the world’s third-largest economy behind the United States and China, according to the research study.
Markuson said “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,”
He warned that “This is great for device makers, but horrible news for consumers. When things are rushed, they leave huge gaps in security adds,”
According to the research findings, people place the majority of blame on themselves (55.8%), manufacturers (41.4%), and the government (18%).
The research said “Governments play a big part in creating security standards for the devices. Manufacturers are responsible for implementing those standards and developing better technology. And users can ruin all of that work by doing nothing to protect their devices,”