Bitdefender teams up with Netgear to tackle IoT security concerns

Cybersecurity firm Bitdefender is teaming up with networking giant Netgear to tackle concerns surrounding the safety of IoT security. A licensing agreement between the two companies has been put in place to ‘provide industry leading router technology with state of the art IoT security capabilities. Basically Bitdefender’s IoT security tech is being put inside Netgear’s networking devices.

With advanced threats leveraging vulnerabilities in smart devices, this joint offering will secure IoT devices at the WiFi router level, reducing the threat of attacks and protecting sensitive user data from cybercriminals. Bitdefender’s IoT security technology has the capability to detect devices within the Netgear Nighthawk Wi-Fi Router network and identify those with vulnerabilities. Netgear Armor powered by Bitdefender will be first introduced on the Nighthawk AC2300 Smart Wi-Fi router (R7000P) later this quarter.

“Bitdefender is a leader in providing comprehensive security solutions for the connected home.” said David J. Henry, Netgear senior vice president of Connected Home. “Together we are providing customers with breakthrough technology to provide smart home security as part of our Nighthawk AC2300 Smart WiFi router. The key benefit of Netgear Armor, will be to provide a central security solution that protects all the devices in the home against cyber threats.”

Meanwhile Ciprian Istrate, Bitdefender’s vice president of Consumer Solutions, added: “We are excited about our new relationship with Netgear. The integration of our solutions will help prevent damaging breaches and attacks through various types of IoT devices, from doorbells to thermostats to baby monitors to security cameras to smart TVs. We’re pleased that our long history of breakthroughs in IT security can now be a part of a new offering that helps protect IoT devices from cyber criminals.”

The growth of connected smart devices has given rise to much concern about hackers accessing data from users. The varied nature of devices that are connected to the network poses a real security threat if not addressed properly. A large part of the problem stems from the fact that a large number of smart (or connected) products aimed at the general public lack any kind of sufficient built-in protection. Many connected devices arrived quickly to market without meeting a rising demand for security features such as encryption or even basic password settings.

Speaking to PCR earlier this year principal security researcher at Kaspersky Lab David Emm believes that both consumers and manufacturers need to be aware of security threats to IoT products in order to tackle the problem.

“Unfortunately, if smart devices aren’t secure cybercriminals can take control of them,” Emm said. “Until recently, this seemed like the stuff of sci-fi movies. There are some basic practices that should be followed by everyone, from individual consumers to the largest global enterprises. These include: using strong passwords, regularly checking for and installing software updates, and implementing appropriate security software.

“There is also a role for the manufacturers of connected products and the security industry. We need to work together to ensure that strong protection and patch management is designed-in from the very start. Once a product is on the market, it is already too late.”