ChatGPT Amplifies IoT, Edge Security Threats

The Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing have vexed enterprise security efforts for years now. Given the added complexities of work-from-home and hybrid work arrangements, the situation has considerably worsened recently. Now comes ChatGPT to sit atop most IoT and edge devices, effectively adding a welcome beacon -- or even a helping hand -- to threat actors everywhere.

"Existing vulnerabilities, especially in the context of AI and ChatGPT-enabled or assisted attacks against edge devices and users, can be leveraged against businesses in different ways,” says Jim Broome, President and CTO at DirectDefense.

Despite variances in vulnerabilities and diverse efforts to exploit them, threats from the edge originate from one of two IoT realms: home IoT and enterprise IoT.

In many cases, employee home networks and the data therein are the preferred targets for threat actors.

“Once inside the home network, attackers can then pivot back into the corporate network, potentially compromising sensitive business information via a ‘blessed user or home network,’” Broome says.

But that’s not to say that enterprise IoT and edge devices are locked tight against more direct intrusions.

“Ransomware threat actors, for example, can exploit IoT vulnerabilities as a starting point to carry out their malicious campaigns, potentially causing significant damage and disruption to business operations,” Broome adds.

Related:Generative AI: A Cybercriminal’s New Best Friend

The Evolving Threatscape in Enterprise IoT

IoT and edge computing usage is up, both on the home and enterprise fronts. While IoT is a highly fragmented market, a view of even a few categories underscores the continued and unfettered growth across the board. Gartner pegs spend on IoT in the enterprise space and across key industries at over $268 billion in 2022. Deloitte projects worldwide spending on software and hardware related to IoT to rise to $1.1 trillion this year.

But the challenges aren’t just tied to the growing number of IoT and edge devices being purchased and deployed. An increasing variety in the types of IoT are causing issues, too.

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