Han Yonggang, vice-president of 360 Enterprise Security Group, shares his ideas on IoT security in Beijing. [Photo by Cai Mengqi/chinadaily.com.cn]

The Internet of Things (IoT) security risks are increasing, according to Han Yonggang, vice-president of 360, a leading security technology enterprise in China.

The remark was made before the World Internet of Things (IoT) Expo 2018, China's top IoT event, to be held on Sept 15-18 in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province.

The number of global IoT devices is expected to reach 20 billion by 2020, according to the global research firm Gartner Inc.

Cyberattacks related to the IoT continue to crop up in an era of digital connection. For example, in 2016, hundreds of major websites such as Twitter and Amazon were inaccessible as a result of a massive denial-of-service (DDoS) attack over the server of Dyn Inc., an American DNS supplier.

The IoT-based smart systems are incapable of providing strong security defenses due to the lack of a unified standard and sufficient experience of security developers. Invasion of the systems can lead to leaks of users' personal information or even threaten personal safety, said Han.

The 360 Security Response Center shows plenty of real-time Internet risks. [Photo by Cai Mengqi/chinadaily.com.cn]

As a leader in the internet security market in China, 360 is dedicated to providing governments and enterprises with a new generation of technologies, products and services in terms of internet security.

The internet security solution plan of the 360 IoT terminal system can ensure the safety of user data in various fields such as the Internet of Vehicles and smart medicine, added Han.

However, it's the joint responsibility of internet security enterprises, smart device manufacturers, software system suppliers and industrial enterprises to protect the IoT security. Han noted that enterprises should make concerted efforts to improve the IoT security through leveraging their own technological advantages.

As the birthplace of China’s IoT industry, Wuxi has signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with 360 Enterprise Security Group to build the city into a first-rate ecological base for the big data internet security industry and a national demonstration city for internet security.