ENISA at Bitkom hub-conference: Feeling secure about your smart device?

This year the Agency shared insights on IoT cybersecurity and smart environments, and showcased a live-demo on securing smart home devices.

The live-demo session, which was presented for the first time, focused on how to securely select, manage and operate smart devices while demonstrating the applicability and cost-effectiveness of good practices. Smart locks served as a representative example of an IoT device. ENISA’s experts illustrated the potential risks presented in products, and proposed a series of recommendations and practical measures to hinder exploit and promote secure use.

Prof. Udo Helmbrecht, Executive Director of ENISA said: “In order to capitalise on the benefits of IoT we need to focus on security and resilience. ENISA works together with industry and the private sector to identify relevant risks and challenges and develop best practices”.

According to ENISA’s studies the main reasons behind the increased cyber security risks associated with IoT, include the lack of a security mindset and standardization, short rollout times for IoT product development, limited device resources, and minimal update mechanisms. These shortcomings can have a strong impact^[1] on security. ENISA is active in the IoT domain and has released relevant reports in this area. The Agency believes that the early adoption of its proposed good practices can help boost citizens’ trust and confidence in IoT solutions and pave the way for their wider deployment.