The Internet of Things is growing at breakneck pace and may end up representing a bigger economic shift in networking than the Internet itself did, making security threats associated with the IoT a major concern.

This worry is reflected by investments being made in startups that focus on stopping threats to the IoT, the industrial IoT (IIoT) and the operational technology (OT) surrounding them.

The 10 young companies profiled here are developing everything from IoT intrusion prevention tools to IIoT/OT cybersecurity suites to firmware-hardening services. As cyber-attackers shift their focus to the IoT, startups like these may well end up being your first line of defense.

What they do: Intrusion protection for IoT

Year founded: 2012