By: World News

IoT devices are widely used for consumer and business purposes in various industries, including energy, automotive, transportation, agritech, and consumer electronics. They are possible to set up and manage remotely, enabling secure data collection and storage.

Nevertheless, IoT devices are also vulnerable to a range of IoT security challenges regarding firmware as well as hardware. In our article, we researched the importance of IoT security measures and discussed the common IoT security issues and solutions to them.

What Is IoT Security?

Security is the top priority in an IoT system and its management. IoT devices, integrated with sensors, collect and store information about the environmental conditions and device performance on the local server or the cloud. The process of transmitting, collecting, and accessing the data might have a range of vulnerabilities, which we will cover and discuss further in this article.  

Why is IoT security important?

IoT devices create a whole network, storing information for further analysis and getting valuable business insights. IoT-connected devices are vulnerable to data security threats and malfunctions, unauthorized system and device access, and others. To prevent security issues, it is pivotal to be aware of them, research them, and find efficient solutions to avoid or fix them on time. To analyze the current security of your IoT devices, you can consult with a tech company that provides IoT consulting services https://lembergsolutions.com/iot-consulting-services.

Let’s take a closer look at the common IoT security problems and find ways to struggle with them effectively. 

Top IoT security problems

We covered the most widespread IoT devices security issues and vulnerabilities, as you can only prevent them when you are aware of them. 

Insecure hardware

IoT devices are commonly located remotely or in places that you can hardly reach physically. It is pivotal to ensure unauthorized users cannot access the hardware and that it has security and privacy measures in case of attacks. 

Firmware update challenges

IoT devices capture information using integrated sensors and firmware, which needs to be regularly updated, just like any software. Firmware should provide OTA or Over-the-Air updates, allowing you to update the functionality remotely. This option can be integrated when developing firmware. In other cases, you will need tech help to redesign the existing firmware architecture. 

Firmware exploits

Hackers can access and use it if the firmware doesn’t get regular updates, including data security improvements. It will be harmful to devices as well as can reach the primary IoT device management system and other business software you use for data storage.

New device onboarding & configuration 

New devices should also be set up remotely. This process must be properly planned to ensure the newly launched devices work as expected and do not impact the whole IoT network performance. 

Remote management

IoT device remote management is possible but requires keeping a set of the necessary industry and security requirements to ensure smooth communication of IoT devices with the IoT management system, including secure data transmission, device provisioning, and monitoring. 

Unencrypted data transmissions

IoT devices are often more vulnerable to data leakage due to data collected from IoT device sensors and transferring it to local or cloud storage. The lack of data encryption can lead to potentially sensitive data being stolen on its way to the warehouse.

IoT ransomware

The more scalable the IoT network gets, the more types of hacker attacks it is likely to have. Ransomware entails infecting IoT-connected devices with malware, which can provide unauthorized access to the whole IoT network. This can lead to data extractions from storage, local, or cloud.

How to avoid IoT network security vulnerabilities?

Despite the variety of potential IoT security threats, the majority of them can be prevented or avoided by following the best security practices we will discuss below. Once you launch the IoT network, you should be aware of all potential challenges of securing IoT devices and constantly improve security measures.

Strong password policy

Password policy and two-step authentication are must-haves for business IoT networks with hundreds of connected devices and substantial data volumes stored on a daily basis. Setting up solid and unique passwords for each IoT device and Wi-Fi connection credentials is important. Moreover, all authenticators must be updated at least once a month and have restricted access, which can be granted by special allowance within the security app or other ways. 

Device segmentation

Despite the fact that IoT-powered devices create a single network, they can be segmented into different levels and groups. It means that devices from one group cannot communicate and share sensitive data from the other. So, in case of unauthorized access, the probability of losing data decreases, and you can do quick fixes to ensure that other devices operate securely.

Don’t miss firmware updates

Firmware updates for scalable IoT networks must be conducted on time. That’s where OTA update functionality comes in handy, especially for devices that are hard to access physically. This tool can be integrated into existing device firmware or can be built-in during the firmware development process. You can consult on your case specifics with a reliable IoT development partner, like Lemberg Solutions.

Conclusions

One of the most effective ways to prevent the Internet of Things security issues is constant support and security measures upgrades. First, you should set up an asset management process where you control device physical access, onboarding, configuration, conditions, and so on. The next iteration is related to data security actions that include two-step authentication, restricted data access, regular data backups, recovery plans, constant firmware updates, and other solutions offered by your tech partner.