Dive Brief:

• All security issues reported for consumer Internet of Things products since last November could have been avoided, according to new data from the Online Trust Alliance (OTA).
• OTA said all reported IoT security problems could be attributed to insecure credential management, failure to disclose consumer data collection and sharing policies, and a lack of rigorous security testing during the development process, among other shortcomings.
• The organization has developed a new IoT Trust Framework for device manufacturers and developers that is intended to help ensure they have all their bases covered to prevent IoT security issues going forward.

Dive Insight:

The use of IoT devices is on the rise, and one way or another they will find their way into the enterprise. Already there are concerns about how many devices can automatically sync to networks, possibly creating a cybersecurity flaw in a network.

Managing and securing the enterprise network will be more difficult if IT doesn’t have an accurate inventory, according to a recent Gartner report. The research firm recommended that IT organizations identify all devices and projects connected to the enterprise network and then update their network access policy.

"In this rush to bring connected devices to market, security and privacy is often being overlooked," said Craig Spiezle, executive director and president of the Online Trust Alliance. "If businesses do not make a systemic change we risk seeing the weaponization of these devices and an erosion of consumer confidence impacting the IoT industry on a whole due to their security and privacy shortcomings."

Gartner predicts that 21 billion IoT devices will be used globally by 2020, outnumbering laptops, smartphone and tablets.