Intel Security announced its second-annual McAfee Most Hackable Holiday Gifts list to identify potential security risks associated with hot-ticket items this holiday season. The No. 1 most hackable gift category included laptops and PCs, followed by smartphones and tablets, media players and streaming sticks, smart home automation and devices, and finally, drones. To accompany the list, Intel Security conducted a survey to identify the risky behaviors consumers are engaging in during the holiday season and educate them on how to protect themselves.
Today’s digital world is changing fast, and our reliance on the internet is ever increasing. The recent distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack was carried out by a botnet made up of unsecured webcams and other internet of things (IoT) devices, and crippled many popular websites connected to the Dyn domain. It’s important that consumers understand they can help fight these attacks by ensuring their devices are updated and patched, which helps mitigate risks from the latest threats.
“Unsurprisingly, connected devices remain high on holiday wish lists this year. What is alarming is that consumers remain unaware of what behaviors pose a security risk when it comes to new devices,” said Gary Davis, chief consumer security evangelist at Intel Security. “Consumers are often eager to use their new gadget as soon as they get it and forgo ensuring that their device is properly secured. Cybercriminals 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 attacks as in the recent Dyn attack.”
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). As technology continues to evolve, it is essential consumers understand the risks associated with even the most unassuming devices. 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.
