A recent survey by an Intel Corp. subsidiary revealed that only 45 percent of consumers move to protect their new gadgets. While a majority of consumers are aware of the vulnerabilities in older connected devices like laptops (73 percent), mobile phones (70 percent) and tablets (69 percent), they lack awareness about the potential risks associated with emerging connected devices, such as drones (20 percent), children’s toys (21 percent), virtual-reality tech (18 percent) and pet gifts (11 percent), according to the Intel Security Group (ISG).
“As technology continues to evolve, it is essential consumers understand the risks associated with even the most unassuming devices,” the wholly-owned subsidiary of Intel said on November 23. “While 75 percent of consumers believe it’s very important to secure their online identities and connected devices, nearly half are uncertain if they are taking the proper security steps.”
According to the company formerly known as McAffee Associates Inc., the No. 1 most hackable gift category included laptops and PCs, followed by smartphones and tablets. The ISG survey results revealed that 64 percent of consumers plan to purchase either a smartphone or tablet this holiday season. Other hackable devices are media players and streaming sticks, smart home automation and devices and drones. According to ISG, drone sales are expected to grow to more than $20 billion by 2022.
“They can provide unique perspectives when it comes to shooting video and photos,” ISG said. “However, not properly securing the device could allow hackers to disrupt the GPS [global positioning system] signal, or hijack your drone through its smartphone app.”
“Unsurprisingly, connected devices remain high on holiday wish lists this year,” Gary Davis, ISG chief consumer security evangelist, was quoted in a statement as saying. “What is alarming is that consumers remain unaware of what behaviors pose a security risk when it comes to new devices.”
According to Davis, the risks come because of the eagerness of consumers to use their new gadget as soon as they get it and forgo ensuring that their device is properly secured. “Cyber criminals could use this lack of attention as an inroad to gather personal consumer data, exposing consumers to malware or identity theft or even use unsecured devices to launch DDoS [distributed denial of service] attacks,” Davis said.