Even though we talk a lot about the positive impact of IoT in our Tech development progress reports, how about the dark side. Is it possible we know what IoT is potentially? Or are we lacking the knowledge to encounter its dark side that may become too dangerous then its potential brighter side.

Here are top 30 dark side facts about IoT and the potential effects:-

1. As per Gartner predictions, over 20 billion IoT devices will be insecure by 2023.
2. As Symantec reported,  a 600% increase in IoT malware attacks between 2018-2019.
3. An IBM study found, over 70% of IoT devices are vulnerable to medium or high severity attacks.
4. As per the research by Palo Alto Networks, most IoT vendors don’t update devices with the latest security patches.
5. As per the trustwave testing exposed vulnerabilities in IoT cameras, lighting controls, HVAC systems that allowed remote takeover.
6. A study by ESET found personal info like names, emails could be extracted from 87% of tested IoT devices.
7. As per Avast research, they could control IoT robots, vacuums with misconfigured Alexa integrations to spy on users.
8. The 2021 Unit states that 42 IoT threat report attributed 13% of all IoT attacks to ransomware.
9. A CyberNews investigation exposed database leaks with over 5 billion IoT device credentials.
10. Check Point identified critical vulnerabilities in 4 of the top 5 enterprise IoT platforms, could enable attacks.
11. F-secure testing revealed many smart TVs transmit unencrypted data over the internet, exposing viewing habits.
12. As per trend Micro research, baby monitors, pet feeders and other IoT devices were compromised to mine cryptocurrency.
13. A study by Pen Test Partners found 84% of tested IoT devices use default weak passwords that are easily guessed.
14. Microsoft reported IoT botnets like Gafgyt and Mirai grew to infect over 9 million devices in 2021.
15. An FBI warning estimates over $3 billion in losses from business email compromise enabled by IoT vulnerabilities.
16. A 2022 Dojo by BullGuard study exposed multiple vectors like SMS and USB for attack on 70% of smart home hubs.
17. A Palo Alto Networks IoT report revealed obsolete Linux kernels in 40% of devices posing security risks.
18. CyberX research discovered 61% of ICS/IIoT sites had at least one direct connection to a known malicious IP.
19. A McAfee study found unsecured IoT databases exposed over 2 billion device movement histories.
20. High-severity vulnerabilities were detected in 70% of medical imaging equipment per analysis by Cynerio.
21. NCC Group identified default credentials, improperly validated inputs in top connected healthcare and fitness devices.
22. CyberMDX testing showed web interfaces of infusion pumps, heart monitors etc. are prone to cross-site scripting attacks.
23. Research by Palo Alto Networks revealed insecure IoT devices are increasingly used as pivot points in enterprise breaches.
24. A recent FTC warning highlighted risks of IoT toys like connected dolls that allow conversations with children.
25. Hundreds of GPS tracking websites exposed over 1 million accounts, including private user location data.
26. Trustwave research demonstrated how flaws in a smart scale could enable attackers to poison food via remotely added weight.
27. CyberNews exposed over 3 million voice recordings from IoT devices on unsecured cloud databases.
28. An ESET investigation revealed backdoors in WiFi extenders that compromised thousands of devices remotely.
29. Safety recommendations for IoT devices like IP cameras, baby monitors were outlined by the FBI.
30. Flaws in IoT LED lighting systems allowed Check Point researchers to spread malware across buildings.

Let’s evaluate a brief example of IoT malware functional issue related to industry,

In December 2018, a major outage was suffered by Google in its cloud computing services that disrupted YouTube, G Suite and other major parts of its network. The root cause was an IoT networking hardware failure. Specifically, network management software bug triggered a large surge of data overwhelming one of Google’s cloud hosting platforms.

It led to cascading failures and outage across other Google services relying on the affected infrastructure. It highlighted the complexity and interconnectedness risk in IoT systems. A small failure in one network hardware device cascaded into a massive outage because of the deep integration and dependencies between various cloud-based services.

Well, just imagine how much businesses are affected when major brands such as YouTube, Gmail, and Google Drive are taken offline for hours. Eventually disrupting the consumers and users rely on these services. Not delivered on time, your advertisement is failed, and what about Gmail, a minute late of delivering your email might cost you a huge amount that cannot be imagined.

That’s how cruel and gruesome the industries are turning around depending on the major brand. The services are not just important and needed but they are the source of income, sometimes per second also matters a lot.

So, what do you think? Are we assured about the use of IoT in our day-to-day lives, or are we technically unaware and on the dark side? Did we get curtained about the shadow side of the technical brightness?

We like to be tech-savvy, and I mean it. I love using, or even being on the application side of, all the latest technologies that have been released on the market. But how far do we know about the real line of boundaries? How much should we communicate with technology, and to what extent is it paramount?

While we enjoy the allure of being tech-savvy and the conveniences and advancements brought about by IoT, it is essentially up to us to recognize the potential for pitfalls and risks.

Can the love of technology lead us to our ultimate doom? Will the fascination with a futuristic, tech-oriented lifestyle lead us to the death of homo sapiens? Or can it help us identify the rotten ones and get rid of them for a cleaner society?

If we uncheck our love for technology, it could indeed lead us towards unforeseen consequences. We need to find the true balance and not let our fascination with futuristic, tech-oriented lifestyles overshadow the potential threats.

We need to remain vigilant while delving deeper into the realms of advanced technology as it assesses its impact on our society and humanity as a whole. Striking the right balance and setting ethical boundaries in our interaction with technology will be key to navigating the path toward a sustainable and harmonious future.

Sources:- Gartner, Symantec, GSA global, Unit 42, Trustwave, welivesecurity, Avast, checkpoint, cybernews, trendmicro, iot security