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7 smart security practices for the Internet of Things

May 20, 2016

Experian offers 12 tips to safeguard security from the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things is only as strong as its weakest link, according to Adam Fingersh, senior vice president and general manager of fraud and identity business at Experian.

"Opening products and services to the Internet dramatically increases the opportunities for cybercriminals, who can hack those products to get into your broader systems," he said in a recent press release.

The company urged businesses to adopt the mindset that any product poses a significant potential for threat, and offered these guidelines:

• use cyberintelligence and complex device-recognition solutions, not just credentials, for system access;
• determine which employees should have access to systems and clarify why they need it. Also, understand the normal behavior of individuals logging onto systems so that immediate action can be taken if anomalies occur;
• clearly outline roles and responsibilities for access monitoring, segmenting by channel or line of business, if appropriate;
• share intelligence across the consumer and enterprise sides of the business;
• partner with providers who have successfully responded to account takeover. Concerns and vulnerabilities related to fit-for-purpose technologies are similar to those of the Internet of Things;
• apply robust privacy policies and practices to ensure that data collected is genuinely needed and that collection practices are easily understood by the consumer; and
• treat collected data as highly sensitive information. Criminals can work with seemingly unimportant data to build stolen identities used for online impersonation, social engineering, phishing attacks and other frauds.