The rapid proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has created a complex and expansive ecosystem that presents unique security challenges for organizations.
As the number of connected devices continues to grow exponentially, it is crucial for businesses to find network security solutions tailored to their evolving needs.
Keep on reading as we dissect the challenges of IoT network security and provide strategies for addressing these issues effectively.
Challenges in Network Security for IoT
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Diverse Device Ecosystem
These are powerful tools that change the way we interact and carry on, but these systems come in all shapes and sizes with different capabilities, operating systems & security features. Such variety makes it difficult to enforce one-size-fits-all network security measures over the whole ecosystem.
Another dimension of diversity in IoT is not just about the kinds of devices, but the ways those devices communicate with one another — along with differences in communication protocols, data formats and even hardware specifications. For example, IoT networks may consist of industrial sensors, smart home devices, wearables and vehicle telematics systems each with distinct network security needs.
Limited Device Resources
Most IoT devices have low computational capabilities and very few memory and energy constraints. Maintaining robust network security practices within the devices can be challenging due to many limitations (small footprint, memory constraints).
This problem can be especially troublesome with battery-operated instruments or when the measuring system is difficult to access. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) for environmental monitoring can be an example that may need to operate unattended for several years without direct human intervention — thus, it is not possible to deploy security except for very resource-expensive protocols.
Inadequate Authentication and Encryption
Most of IoT devices have no robust authentication targeted and may use broken or dead cryptographic protocols vulnerable to unauthorized access, which can lead to sensitive information leakage (like data breaches).
Manufacturers frequently exacerbate this vulnerability with an emphasis on user-friendliness and rapid implementation at the cost of network security.
The vast majority of IoT devices do not include any additional built-in security or even basic authentication for that matter — and unfortunately, it is likely this simple concern will remain a problem well after 2020 as reliance on old encryption standards like WEP (some legacy Wi-Fi devices still use it) can put entire networks at risk of being compromised.
Vulnerabilities in Firmware and Software
IoT devices that have been known to use outdated firmware and software with documented security flaws. Maintaining the updates and patching these devices for a large-scale deployment is quite challenging.
This is made worse by the fact that many IoT devices do not have mechanisms to update automatically and often have no user interface for manual updates. Sometimes, the devices are located in remote areas where it is not practical to physically access them for an update.
Data Volume and Velocity
The high volume of data produced by such IoT devices could easily overload conventional security systems, making it challenging to detect and respond rapidly to threats.
Even a region like LATAM generates terabytes of data daily through IoT networks, making network security teams who need to detect anomalies or potential threats have a “needle in the haystack” problem. This is of course made more difficult when these data sources may come in real-time from a variety of formats and while we are using different protocols.
Expanded Attack Surface
More IoT devices mean a bigger playground for cyber threats to grow their attack vectors. They compromise each device connected to accomplish their goals.
In doing so, they inadvertently increase the attack surface of these devices and extend it to not only the devices but also communications channels, cloud services or backend systems comprising their IoT ecosystem.
For example, attackers could trespass into network systems and compromise devices at the most peripheral levels—such as compromising individual IoT tuners, hijacking data en route or acquire to a centralized formation solution.
Best Practices for Scale IoT Network Security
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Execute Network Segmentation
It could also result in a breach that is not contained to just the IoT network by segmenting them away from critical business systems, on gateways, etc; you help limit an attack.
This can be achieved with things like virtual LANs (VLAN) or software-defined networking (SDN), which allow you to very simply create isolated network segments for your IoT devices.
Network segmentation can also push to micro-segmentation, for example, by forming granular security zones inside the network. This provides rather granular traffic flow control and can greatly reduce the potential downside of any network security compromise.
Adopt Zero Trust Architecture
Use a zero trust network security model to authenticate each device, user and application seeking entrance into the network regardless of where they come from. This is extremely valuable in the context of extended IoT ecosystems.
With the extension of zero trust principles to device-to-device communications within an IoT network which mandates even trusted devices always authenticate and validate interactions This approach prevents attackers from using a compromised device as an entry point for moving laterally inside the network.
Improve Visibility and Monitoring
Advanced network monitoring tools with real-time visibility into the behavior of IoT devices & their activity on your networks. Leverage AI and machine learning analytics to identify anomalies and detect potential threats rapidly.
More advanced monitoring solutions may use other methods, including behavioral analytics and device fingerprinting to detect normal patterns of behavior on this particular architecture. All non-conforming patterns can fire alerts to address possible security incidents right away.
Require Strong Authentication and Apply Encryption
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Require robust mechanisms for authenticating every IoT device (like multi-factor authentication). Secure your data and encrypt it at each state, especially end-to-encryption for both transit or resting safely.
You should also utilize certificate based authentication for IoT devices as it helps to increase the security of traditional password based mechanisms. You might also want to consider options for a lightweight encryption protocol made especially for IoT devices with limited resources, such as MQTT-SN (MQTT For Sensor Networks).
Automate Security Processes
Enable automation and orchestration to simplify security operations for tasks like patch management, vulnerability scanning, and incident response. This is key to operating security at scale.
Create a Robust Device Management Plan
Integrate, implement and deploy a powerful device management IoT platform that can manage all the stages of your devices from provisioning, configuration to updates and even decommissioning.
This can include tools for remote device provisioning, over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates and centralized policy management as part of a full-fledged endpoint strategy. This allows organisations to enforce security policies consistently across their IoT portfolio and react rapidly to new threats.
Performing Routine Security Evaluations
Regular Security Audits Carrying out periodic security audits and penetration testing is a great way to identify potential weaknesses in your IoT environment. This strategy is ideal, because it can bring to light potential threats before they are exploited in the wild.
Using an array of automated vulnerability scanning tools and manual penetration testing techniques should both provide you with the confidence that your IoT infrastructure is secure. Ongoing assessments will not only include the devices but also backups, infrastructure such as cloud services and data storage system.
Introduce Edge Computing for On-Site Data Processing
Make use of edge computing technologies to handle and interpret data closer to the source. This can minimize the amount of sensitive data travelling across the network, which is better for security.
Edge computing can help IoT networks be more robust and resilient as devices able to sustain operation when connectivity with central systems are lost. Edge computing can ensure security and operational continuity in hostile environments by processing crucial data at the edge.
Future-Proofing IoT Security
Network- wide IoT security at scale for us in this problem; it is not simplistic to solve and requires an extensive generic approach.
Some of them require a strategy like network segmentation zero trust architecture in clear relation to monitoring and automation process that can play a role in increasing the security posture against IoT by a greater margin.
Given the potentially existential threats, this is vital in order to establish a more secure IoT base for businesses where IoT network security was prioritized and robust measures were taken at scale.
