Symantec Secures 1 Billionth IoT Device Mark

Symantec announced yesterday (Aug. 25) it has expanded its security portfolio and is now securing more than 1 billion Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

The information protection company’s new portfolio addition, Embedded Critical Systems Protection, enables it to defend always-on, Internet-connected devices from the threat of hacks.

“As IoT innovation and adoption continues to grow, so has the opportunity for new cybersecurity risks. This is the next frontier. In the automotive industry, hackers can literally steer the car and ‘hit the brakes’ from their keyboards,” Shankar Somasundaram, senior director of IoT security at Symantec, said in a press release.

“Symantec is partnering with manufacturers in the automotive, industrial control and semiconductor industries, in addition to our work in health care and retail markets.”

The IoT market is expected to grow as much as 16.9 percent annually through the next five years to reach $1.7 trillion worldwide, according to a report released by research firm International Data Corporation.

With more IoT devices hitting the market, security concerns addressing how to keep consumers safe while using these devices are also growing.

Symantec will now offer a full suite of IoT security solutions, covering authentication, device security, analytics and management. The company said these solutions are aimed at preventing “cars, medical devices, industrial control systems and countless consumer electronics from becoming hacked, tracked and electronically hijacked as shown in recent news.”

Its latest offering can protect against zero-day attacks and compromise in IoT devices by shutting down a device’s embedded software.

Symantec’s IoT technology portfolio includes:

• Embedded Critical Systems Protection technology supports device security
• IoT Roots of Trust and Device Certificates product embeds security at the hardware level to support encryption and authentication
• Code Signing Certificates and Secure App Services authorizes code

“The IoT market is craving a comprehensive security solution,” Larry Stefonic, founder and CEO of wolfSSL, an embedded security solutions company and Symantec supporting partner, said in a statement.

“WolfSSL Inc. and Symantec address market needs through their combined solution to help developers secure against the three most fundamental security challenges in the IoT: Man in the Middle (MITM) attack, secure firmware updates and encrypting data on the device.”

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