What is IoT?
IoT or the Internet of Things is a technology that connects various devices to form a network of interconnected systems via the internet. With our increasing dependence on technology, the IoT has begun to integrate itself into every aspect of our lives. And with this integration come the various challenges related to securing these IoT devices. This article will discuss the various challenges that arise when securing IoT
Importance of Securing IoT
The constant evolution of technology and our dependence on it have made IoT one of the fastest-growing technologies in the current digital landscape. Considering how pervasive IoT has become in corporate as well as consumer applications, it is paramount that we secure the IoT networks. IoT devices often carry personal and confidential data, making them a prime target for bad actors. Just compromising one of these devices can give the bad actors access to the entire network, which can have especially significant consequences in a corporate environment. Therefore, securing and protecting IoT devices is imperative.
Challenges of Securing IoT
Despite the apparent simplicity of securing IoT devices, overcoming the various challenges that arise is necessary to establish a safe and secure IoT network. Some of these challenges include:
- Default Passwords: Many IoT devices ship with default passwords, and many users do not change these passwords. This lets malicious actors easily break into the IoT devices using the default passwords, which are available online or on the manufacturer’s website
- Purpose-built/custom chipsets: Using custom chipsets tailored for niche purposes in most IoT devices means they often lack the rigorous testing applied to chips in large-scale manufacturing. This leaves undiscovered chip vulnerabilities that hackers may exploit later on.
- Firmware and Software Vulnerabilities: Keeping up with the constant evolution of devices and the rapid discovery of vulnerabilities poses a challenge for manufacturers in issuing patches and updates.
- Lack of Standardization: The IoT encompasses a large range of devices with different hardware, which contributes to a lack of standardized security policies, frameworks, and protocols. This makes it difficult for manufacturers and developers to ensure consistent and effective security measures across the board.
- Insecure Communication: IoT devices communicate via various wireless and wired standards, and ensuring the security of data while in transit between one device and another can be a quite tedious and complicated task. This task becomes especially complex when dealing with environments containing legacy systems and heterogeneous devices. One way this can be rectified is by using robust encryption mechanisms.
- Limited Resources: Due to a lack of high processing and computing power, IoT devices struggle to balance security and functionality. Robust security features can drain processing power, impacting performance and battery life. Conversely, weak security leaves them vulnerable to attacks. Designing a secure and efficient IoT network requires careful consideration of this trade-off.
- Physical Security: Physically securing IoT devices is just as important as securing the software that runs on them. Placing IoT devices in easily accessible locations exposes them to potential tampering or damage by bad actors or even insider threats.
- Unprotected Local Access: If locally managed networks do not have proper protection from both a physical and configuration standpoint, they expose IoT devices to potential attacks, whether from an external entity or an insider threat.
- Lack of User Awareness: End users often lack the technical knowledge required to configure IoT devices and are oblivious to the security implications of an improperly configured IoT device, which leaves the system and, in turn, the network open to attacks by malicious hackers. So, it is essential to bridge this knowledge gap to empower users to secure their own devices.
- Increased Digital Attack Surface: Each new IoT device added to the network increases the digital attack surface which is the number of all possible points, or attack vectors, where an unauthorized user can access a system and extract data. This rapid growth makes it difficult for traditional security measures to provide security at the required scale.
Conclusion
Securing IoT is a complex and multifaceted endeavour that requires constant cooperation from manufacturers, developers, and end users. Only by facing the challenges that arise head-on and coming up with strong, secure, and robust policies and procedures is it possible for us to create a secure IoT network.
