Threats to company hardware — e.g., servers, chips, and hard drives — abound.
For example, some attackers are creating counterfeit hardware that companies are incorporating into their IT infrastructures. These devices often contain backdoors that can be exploited to access company systems. Attackers are also finding ways to modify existing devices to gain unauthorized access. Meanwhile, elements like outdated password practices and firmware-level exploits are introducing additional vulnerabilities.
These hardware attacks can be incredibly damaging.
Compromised hardware can undermine all other cybersecurity defenses in place, granting cybercriminals direct access to sensitive information. Hardware attacks can also allow attackers to gain direct control of a device and even those connected to it in some cases, putting entire systems at risk of infiltration and disruption.
Meanwhile, the risks facing company hardware are intensifying with the development of new technologies. For example, quantum computers could eventually become capable of cracking some types of encryption in a fraction of the time it would take a conventional computer — complicating everyday challenges like user verification, access control, handling data, and more.
As a result, companies are turning to hardware security solutions to protect their physical devices and prevent unauthorized access to enterprise systems.
In the market map below, we identify 144 hardware security vendors operating across 15 categories.
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