INTERVIEW: An expert with the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) warned the IoT sector risks becoming a victim of its own success if protection is not embedded into devices at the point of manufacture.

Evangelos Ouzounis, head of the Secure Infrastructure and Services Unit (pictured), explained an explosion in IoT device numbers will revolutionise industries and homes, opening the door to new business models and uses.

But he cautioned security is often overlooked as device makers rush products to market to meet a rapid rise in business and consumer demand: “A lot of work needs to be done on the security by design,” he explained.

To address this, manufacturers must be persuaded of the value of investing more on security, while businesses and consumers require education that the cheapest product may not be the safest.

While liability for failures is “not a well developed concept” in the IoT market, it will become increasingly important as devices “start offering services that are critical for life”, Ouzounis noted, citing pacemakers or self-driving cars as examples.

For more on what Ouzounis believes the industry can do to boost IoT security, along with the part ENISA is playing, click here.