Hackers: Targeting All Devices
Your desktop computer isn’t the only device that can be hacked. The difference is that we all know that desktop computers can be vulnerable, and we protect them, but what about all those other devices that connect to the Internet?
We are seeing an uptick in hackers going after the devices on the network that don’t have security protection. In the last few days, we have seen several router vulnerabilities either actively exploited or holes that are exploitable.
A well-known router vendor has just announced that backdoors have been installed into the router; another vendor of security gateway products has admitted a vulnerability and a VPN vendor has an exploit that hackers are actively using to access corporate networks.
In household networks, we have reached a tipping point where there are more IoT and non-desktop devices connected to the network. Think of all the Cameras, Thermostats, Printers, TV’s etc that you have connected in your home. Now think of how you protect them and then be concerned about the fact you don’t know what they are actually doing, where they are communicating and what information they have access to.
The next problem is when did you last update the software on these devices? Another network vendor stated that tens of thousands of their devices had not been updated even after discovering a problem. The hackers don’t give up. They will use these devices for as long as possible.
We have to treat every device connected to the internal or external network as untrustworthy. The challenge is that a client cannot be installed on the vast majority of devices.
This is exactly where DNS protection products step in and help.
For Enterprise networks, a DNS product allows the network administrator to set policies for users and devices as well as protect against Malware, Phishing, Ransomware etc. The Secure64 platform can also be set to define a policy to prevent a device from accessing anywhere it shouldn’t.
Removing problems for routers connected to the estate is a sensible precaution for ISP networks to prevent further issues.
For Home Users, this is a valuable service that can offered to users as an additional revenue-generating service.
These issues are only worsening, and we must develop strategies to stop the problem.
DNS filtering is today the best option. It covers every device type and operating system. It blocks the lookups for command and control sites, and it works over every kind of connection (cellular, Wifi, Hardwired, Satellite). The solution has a constantly updating list of bad sites and the ability to report on the devices that have tried to access these sites.
It is a simple solution to deliver high benefits with little or no impact the users internet experience
