Tech Distributor Steps Up to the IoT Security Plate
by Bridget McCrea
The cyber-attack that brought down sites like Twitter, Netflix, and CNN on October 21 is raising awareness of just how vulnerable today’s interconnected networks can be when subjected to the work of hackers. The problem was traced back to a malicious Mirai botnet that hit Dyn, a firm that controls much of the Internet’s domain name system (DNS) infrastructure.
According to Dyn’s Scott Hilton, the company came under attack by two large and complex Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against its Managed DNS infrastructure. “These attacks were successfully mitigated by Dyn’s Engineering and Operations teams,” Hilton writes in Dyn Analysis Summary Of Friday October 21 Attack, “but not before significant impact was felt by our customers and their end users.”
Developing Solutions
With IoT expected to greatly impact the way all businesses, governments, and consumers interact with the physical world—and with DDoS and other attacks continuing to make headlines—the focus on IoT-related security is growing exponentially, and for good reason. In total, Business Insider forecasts that there will be 34 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2020, up from 10 billion in 2015.
IoT devices will account for 24 billion, while traditional computing devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, smart watches, etc.) will comprise 10 billion. In total, nearly $6 trillion will be spent on IoT solutions over the next five years, Business Insider estimates.
One distributor is stepping up to the plate and working to enhance its products’ security capabilities. In November, Avnet Inc. of Phoenix, Ariz., introduced an add-on module and reference design for its MicroZed Industrial IoT Kit. The Avnet-designed Infineon TPM V1.2 Peripheral Module brings Trusted Platform Module (TPM) security capabilities for platform integrity, remote attestation, and cryptographic services often required by IIoT applications. Click Here to read full article
The Avnet-designed Infineon TPM V1.2 Peripheral Module brings Trusted Platform Module (TPM) security capabilities for platform integrity, remote attestation, and cryptographic services often required by IIoT applications.