Menu

IoT FEATURE NEWS

SimpleWAN Exec Explains Why the Time is Now for IoT Security

By

When it comes to security problems, the hits just keep coming. The vulnerabilities will only multiply as the Internet of Things expands. That’s why Erik Knight of SimpleWAN is sounding the alarm.

“Hey, wake up,” he said during an interview today at ITEXPO/IoT Evolution Expo. “Look at it. It’s bad. Just be aware.”

SimpleWAN is an SD-WAN solution provider, and cybersecurity is a big part of its strategy. Businesses that leverage SD-WAN to see and control their networks in real time get a better handle on what’s happening at each of their sites and can see and act on attacks as they happen.

Knight said there were several security problems revealed in just the past few weeks. One involved the reveal of the fact that 100 percent of the Linux base had a kernel vulnerability from 2012 code, and someone just found it last week, he said. In another, it was found that Adobe Flash has a vulnerability that allows hackers to remotely execute code on a machine, he added.

Yet while we have all become painfully aware of such security issues and the problems that vulnerabilities can create, players in the IoT arena are rushing to bring things to market so fast that they’re not taking the necessary steps to secure their solutions, he said. Meanwhile, there’s an army of hackers out there just waiting for the opportunity to expose these vulnerabilities, benefit from them and/or share them with their fellow techies.

That becomes a real problem, he noted, when people’s lives are on the line such as related to a connected car or medical device. Gaining remote control of a washing machine, he added, could potentially enable a hacker to keep the water running and flood a home or business. Hacks to the IoT could also create havoc if a bad actor were to take control of multiple connected devices and turn them on at the same time, creating overload of the power grid, he said.  

To improve security, SimpleWAN is making a big push for two-factor authentication. In fact, it will require it for all clients within six months, Knight said. Because dashboards and servers are centralized in a cloud architecture, he added, when outsiders get unauthorized access to these assets, they can control everything.

“As a cloud provider we realized that is our biggest risk,” he said.  “We’re making a big push for that, and everyone’s excited. But we expect big pushback on that.”

That’s because although people want things to be secure, they don’t want to make the extra effort to ensure security, he said. Security today is a checkbox, he added, but in the future Knight thinks security will move more front and center for IoT solutions providers and users.




Edited by Kyle Piscioniere
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]

Executive Editor, TMC

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Related Articles

I've Asked the Security Experts, But It's Time You Have Your Say

By: Carl Ford    6/27/2025

Security experts are quick to say they know what's happening, but here's your opportunity to weigh in on the state of cybersecurity in IoT.

Read More

Mary Meeker Returns with AI and Breezes Past AIoT

By: Carl Ford    6/26/2025

We are entering an era where intelligence is not just embedded in digital applications, but also in vehicles, machines, and defense systems

Read More

Nothreat Fights AI Fire with AI in Firewalls

By: Carl Ford    6/26/2025

According to Nothreat, the only way to fight AI cyber threats in IoT with AI is to go beyond detection and into active containment, deception, and aut…

Read More

How Kapitus is Reshaping SMB Funding

By: Carl Ford    6/16/2025

Kapitus is a financial institution that provides various financing solutions to SMBs, operating as both a direct lender and a financing marketplace.

Read More

Slicing Up the Network with 5G SA: An Interview with Telit Cinterion's Stan Gray

By: Carl Ford    6/10/2025

Carl Ford speaks with Stan Gray about 5G SA, network slicing, and trends, challenges, and opportunities related to both.

Read More