No quick fix to cyber threat

It is frightening that global corporates such as Amazon and Twitter are vulnerable to cyber attacks made through everyday home devices.

Some people blame the hack on end users for not updating firmware or changing their passwords regularly enough, or manufacturers for not making devices more secure out of the box.

However, the truth is far simpler and one that IoT critics will be quick to pounce upon.

The rapidly growing number of connected devices means it is increasingly difficult for people to protect their homes against cyber attacks.

Updating lots of different devices regularly can be extremely time consuming and sometimes technical.

Expecting busy homeowners to keep up with this is both impractical and unfeasible.

After all who wants to get home from work and spend hours upgrading security software on a fridge, smart TV or kettle?

Also, the more devices there are on a network the easier it is for hackers to gain access by exploiting weak or sloppy security standards.

Unfortunately there is no quick fix.

As IoT technology matures one potential solution could be to use a central manage-

ment system to roll out uniform security policies across all devices on a network.

This would make them easier to protect from cyber criminals. George Smith Managing director Kamarin Computers Peterborough