Don’t Let Your Lights Be Zombies: Protect Your IoT Network

Smart lights are a smart choice. No matter what business you’re in or if you have a mix of indoor and outdoor lighting systems, more control is a good idea. You can power down the lights remotely to save on power. You can flip on the exterior lights if you get an alert about unauthorized activity. Smart lights even give you data about if people are staying in the office late at night, which helps you make smarter decisions about workloads and deadlines.

But a smart light system made out of color-changing LEDs or dimmable bulbs is smart only as long as you control the power and the data. As a general rule, the Internet of Things isn’t as protected as it should be. There’s no standard operating system that you can protect with antimalware. You can’t install updates or widgets to make sure the wi-fi is as encrypted as the rest of your business network.

Are unprotected lighting networks really that big of a deal?

Data is always a big deal. Malicious actors who can wind their way into your IoT, even if they can’t cause any changes themselves, learn too much about your business. They know your hours of operation and when just a few people are in the building. They know what kind of bulbs you use and can find out who your network provider is.

Hackers can also co-opt your IoT-enabled light bulbs into their botnet. Just as malicious actors can spread a virus that lets them harness hundreds of computers to power a DDOS attack, they can infect your IoT and use thousands of light bulbs to power the same attack. Even if they’re not reaching into your data, they’re using your network to cause chaos.

The best thing you can do is stay alert. Look for a smart lighting system that is protected. Contact us for lighting that can work with any operating system.