To help everyone better understand how these security protocols and operations work efficiently, it is necessary to delve into the internal mechanisms of IoT security and reveal the secrets behind it. We will consider everything from everyday smart home devices to large cloud-based services, focusing on the security measures taken to prevent data breaches and avoid potential catastrophic cyber attacks against organizations.01. Definition and Current Status of IoT Security
Internet of Things (IoT) security mainly focuses on the protection of devices that are interconnected via the Internet. These devices include large industrial-grade sensors used to monitor environmental conditions, as well as smart home assistants that can automatically perform various tasks in our homes. These devices can become targets for attacks for various reasons, whether to steal personal credit card information or to carry out industrial sabotage.
Hackers use various means to steal device authentication information, thereby attacking IoT devices. Without adequate security protections, devices connected to the Internet are highly vulnerable to attacks. Once hackers gain control of IoT devices, they can steal sensitive data and engage in malicious activities on the network or render the entire system inoperable.
Unfortunately, IoT security can be a challenge. This is because many IoT devices were not originally designed with security as a primary consideration. Often, these devices only focus on providing high connectivity and a good user experience, along with some functional innovations, making them common targets for cybercriminals. As more and more IoT devices are developed to help businesses and consumers streamline daily workflows, the demand for advanced security becomes increasingly important.
02. Why is IoT Security So Important?
There are two main reasons why IoT devices and networks require advanced security, and they are seen as primary targets for criminals. Firstly, these devices provide attackers with convenient access to sensitive data and systems; secondly, the investment required to carry out such attacks is relatively low.
For instance, a simple smart meter or thermostat may contain personally identifiable information (PII), which could be sold or distributed on the dark web. A large amount of data transmitted through IoT devices is unencrypted. This means that if a device is compromised, attackers will have complete control over this data.
The second critical factor that has raised significant concerns about IoT security is that managing and installing new security patches for these devices is very challenging. Many IoT devices are deployed without a user interface or management software. This includes environmental sensors, industrial sensors, asset trackers, and of course, heart rate monitors.
As a result, there is no simple way to achieve endpoint security or install the latest security patches and updates. At the same time, this also means that unprotected devices can connect to the same network.
However, as application development increasingly leans towards edge computing solutions (which are very suitable for IoT security), we can anticipate a surge of new solutions and professionals emerging. Despite this, the long-standing and urgent challenge of IoT security will continue to exist in the most vulnerable sectors and industries.
03. Notable Events: Analyzing IoT Attack Cases
To illustrate the destructive nature of IoT attacks, we will outline two high-profile large-scale attacks.
Verkada Hacked, Cloud Video Surveillance Access Compromised
In March 2021, Verkada was attacked, and cybercriminals obtained sensitive information from the company’s clients. Furthermore, the attackers were able to access real-time video from over 150,000 security cameras operating in schools, hospitals, factories, and other buildings.
It is reported that accounts of over a hundred employees at Verkada were mistakenly granted the highest level of access, known as “super admin.” This oversight in authorization provided an opportunity for a hacker to exploit the privileged account and gain control over all cameras.
Mirai Botnet – The Largest DDoS Attack in History
Tracing back to October 2016, a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack against the DNS service provider Dyn still holds the record for the largest scale of such attacks.
Criminals established a botnet by implanting malware on numerous IoT devices. With this botnet, they launched a DDoS attack against Dyn’s domain name system, sending a massive number of requests to the target network, causing congestion and ultimately rendering a significant portion of internet services inoperable. This attack not only disrupted access to major social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit but also affected the normal operation of Netflix.
Due to the widespread issue of inadequate encryption and security protections in IoT devices, botnet activity has run rampant. Attackers can easily scan the Internet for IoT devices that have outdated firmware or weak password settings, allowing them to take control and exploit them.
04. What Are the Best Practices and Protocols for IoT Security?
Despite the numerous challenges in IoT security, the overall security situation is actually more optimistic than people expect. To ensure the security of IoT devices, you can take the following measures:
1. Understand Assets and Strengthen Management
Establishing and continuously updating a comprehensive list of IoT devices is a key step in developing effective security strategies. This list should include configuration information for all devices, as well as the current status and last patch time for each device. Additionally, a layout diagram of the entire network should be drawn to clearly show the location of all connected devices, which will assist in quickly identifying and managing vulnerabilities when potential violations are detected.
A security management process also needs to be in place to regularly install updates and patches, continuously monitoring to highlight any devices with outdated firmware.
2. Security Testing
Organizations must conduct regular security assessments to identify new and existing vulnerabilities in the network connections of IoT, including any vulnerabilities in the software installed on devices.
To ensure that assessment results are properly documented, a clear process should be established, along with a reasonable timeline to address potential issues. Significant changes in the network or the introduction of new types of devices should undergo rigorous assessment and testing. Especially before operating IoT devices, thorough testing should be conducted to ensure stable operation in the production environment.
3. Monitoring and Analysis
Improving observability is one of the key points in ensuring IoT security. Through real-time monitoring and analysis, abnormal changes, abnormal behavior, and even potential network intrusions can be detected promptly.
Logging is a key element in achieving system observability, as it can comprehensively display the various states of the network, facilitating quick identification and handling of abnormal situations. To ensure the continuous healthy operation of the system, all devices should maintain a high level of observability, allowing effective monitoring of suspicious behavior even during device operation, without affecting normal functioning.
Monitoring software should feature a user-friendly dashboard, provide real-time alerts, and grant access to advanced analytics and reporting capabilities to highlight the correlations within the vast amounts of data generated and processed by IoT devices.
4. Choose the Latest Encryption Protocols
Encryption is a fundamental component of IoT security, ensuring that even in the event of a breach, data cannot be read or altered without the correct decryption key. All data, whether stored or in transit, must be protected using the latest encryption protocols. For IoT devices, it is recommended to use Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).
5. Implement Network Segmentation Protection
Network segmentation is the process of dividing a network into smaller, identifiable groups. By breaking down the network in this way, management becomes much easier. If an intrusion occurs in one segment, measures can be taken to prevent it from spreading to other areas.
IoT devices should always exist independently from other network segments, with each different type of device having its dedicated segment. The purpose of this is to allow for appropriate access control and to create corresponding traffic management rules. When new threat intelligence is associated with a specific device or user group, relevant control measures and rules can be quickly adjusted to address potential security risks.
05. Conclusion
IoT devices are now ubiquitous in our lives, whether in homes, hospitals, or large industrial facilities. However, the security of these devices often raises concerns, especially when they become part of a vast and complex network. Many IoT devices were not designed with security considerations in mind, making timely updates of security patches challenging and providing opportunities for cybercriminals.
Nevertheless, the good news is that by following five core security protocols and practices, businesses and organizations can build a robust IoT security strategy. This strategy aims to minimize security risks and ensure the safety of sensitive data. These five best practices include implementing tracking and management protocols, conducting regular security assessments, real-time monitoring, using the latest encryption, and network segmentation.
Source: Shushi ConsultingContact for submissions: [email protected]
