DDoS attacks aren’t the only threat the channel needs to worry about when it comes to securing the Internet of Things (IoT). According to WatchGuard Technologies, attacks on Linux devices are on the rise this year.
During Synnex’s Red, White & You event in Indianapolis, IN this week, Marc Laliberte, security analyst at WatchGuard, shared with channel partner delegates the vendor’s prediction that by the end of 2018, the number of malware it captures targeting Linux devices will double from 2017. He noted data captured so far is on track to meet this as the trend steadily climbs upwards.
According to WatchGuard’s most recent quarterly Internet Security Report, released in December, the number-three threat captured by WatchGuard Firebox Gateway Antivirus was Linux/Flooder, with 1,809,063 instances captured.
However, there are additional threats beyond DDoS, Laliberte noted, pointing out that IoT devices tend to have “quite poor security”.
Laliberte also made a push for detection-focused security, lamenting the portion of customers that focus their time and budget on preventing cyber hacks.
He pointed to data finding that in the first half of 2017, there were just under two billion records breached, with 600 million in the second half. Further, 60 percent of data breaches reported resulted in the loss of an unknown number of records, Laliberte said.
Claiming channel customers typically lack adequate detection tools, the exec noted it takes customers months to detect a breach – in 2016 it took companies on average 201 days and in 2017 190 days.
Source: https://www.channelnomics.com/channelnomics-us/news/3028956/iot-fueling-attacks-on-linux-devices
Submitted by: Arnfried Walbrecht
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