Barry Mattacott, marketing director at security specialist Wick Hill Group, looks at the security risks of linking more and more smart devices to our networks. Are we just creating ever more vulnerable endpoints in today’s world of the Internet of Things?

Back in the good old days, we nailed the front door up tight with a firewall and we knew, that with good security on our gateway, our network was safe from the nasties of the outside world. But those pesky kids in their bedrooms, not to mention state sponsored cybercriminals, worked out that they could circumnavigate our state-of- the-art firewall by looking for a way in at the opposite end of our network - the endpoint.

So now we all agree that securing the endpoint is essential, but just where is it and what does it look like? 
Since those early days, there has been a massive proliferation of endpoints and security issues have grown alongside them. You can't go anywhere or do anything without risking an infection.