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Are devices at your business a part of the Internet of Things? Don't forget to secure them.
Cyber security is at the heart of PCI compliance. For good cyber security to happen a strong password needs to be in place. Why is this? Look around you and think about how many things in your sight are or can be connected to the Internet.
The IoT
The Internet of Things has changed our society. Today anything from our cars to our refrigerators to our security cameras can be connected to the Internet. With this connection we can turn off the lights in our home from across town or pull up our business’ security feed from our homes.
All of these devices can be connected to the Internet and that means that each has its own security built in, usually in the form of a username and password. In some cases this is the only line of defense between a cybercriminal and your business.
Default Usernames And Passwords
The problem is that each of these devices have a default username and password. For many people once they get the device connected they do not do anything else with it, like setting a username and a strong password. Because of this it makes it easier for cybercriminals.
These default usernames and passwords are well known. You can find them on the Internet, in many cases from the manufacturer of the device themselves. It doesn’t take an uber computer geek to connect to it. If they can access one part of your intranet they may be able to get into other parts and that is what is scary. Your business is stored there and they could have access to all of it.
Using strong passwords is a major part of PCI compliance. So is keeping your devices up to date. Yes, there may be updates that need to be installed and doing that is also a part of PCI compliance. It is not something that should be done when it comes time for your yearly evaluation, it is something that you need to keep in mind all year long.
