How You Can Effectively Manage IoT Security Challenges and Vulnerabilities?

What is an IoT device?

Before we jump into the issues and challenges, let’s get a better idea of IoT devices. Devices that have a sensor attached to it and transmit data from one object to another or to people with the help of the Internet is known as an IoT device.IoT devices are wireless sensors, software, actuators, and computer devices. An IoT device is any device that connects to a network to access the Internet, so Personal Computers, cellphones, speakers, and even some outlets are considered IoT devices. Today, even cars and airplanes use IoT devices, meaning if these devices are attacked by threat actors, then cars or airplanes could be hijacked or stolen. With such widespread use of IoT devices in place globally, authenticating and authorizing IoT devices within your organization’s network has become vital. Allowing unauthorized IoT devices onto your network can lead to threat actors leveraging these unauthorized devices to perform malware attacks within your organization.

Need for IoT Security

Security breaches in IoT devices can occur anytime, including manufacturing, network deployment, and software updates. These vulnerabilities provide entry points for hackers to introduce malware into the IoT device and corrupt it. In addition, because all the devices are connected to the Internet, for example: through Wi-Fi, a flaw in one device might compromise the entire network, leading other devices to malfunction.Some key requirements for IoT security are:

• Device security, such as device authentication through digital certificates and signatures.
• Data security, including device authentication and data confidentiality and integrity.
• To comply with regulatory requirements and requests to ensure that IoT devices meet the regulations set up by the industry within which they are used.

IoT Security Challenges:

1. Malware and Ransomware
2. Data Security and Privacy
3. Brute Force Attacks
4. Skill Gap
5. Lack of Updates and Weak Update Mechanism

Top IoT Vulnerabilities

The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) has published the IoT vulnerabilities, an excellent resource for manufacturers and users alike.

1. Weak Password Protection
2. Insecure network services
3. Insecure Ecosystem Interfaces
4. Insecure or Outdated Components
5. Lack of Proper Privacy Protection
6. Insecure Default Settings
7. Lack of Physical Hardening
8. Lack of secure update mechanisms

Conclusion

Encryption Consulting LLC (EC) will completely offload the Public Key Infrastructure environment and build the PKI infrastructure to lead and manage the PKI environment (on-premises, PKI in the cloud, cloud-based hybrid PKI infrastructure) of your organization. Encryption Consulting will deploy and support your PKI using a fully developed and tested set of procedures and audited processes. Admin rights to your Active Directory will not be required, and control over your PKI and its associated business processes will always remain with you. Furthermore, for security best practices, the CA keys will be held in FIPS 140-2 Level 3 HSMs hosted either in your secure datacentre or in our Encryption Consulting datacentre in Dallas, Texas.

To learn more about this topic, visit Encryption Consulting.