Introduction
IoT is one of the emerging technology. Moreover, this has its own risks and rewards. IoT devices sure make our lives simpler and automate a lot of processes. By now there are billions of IoT devices which include Smart TVs, Smart Refrigerators, Smart Air-Conditioners, Smart Ovens, Smart Cameras, Smart Cash Wash, Smart Running Shoes, Smart Doorbells, etc. We get too excited looking at the rewards, but never bother to look at the security issues related to IoT. Hence in this blog, we’ll look at some common IoT security issues and how to address them. Later on, in the blog, we’ll be looking at IoT security solutions. we’ll also be looking at different types of IoT security solutions.
IoT Security Issues
The increasing popularity of IoT has raised a lot of security issues, especially privacy concerns that make IoT users susceptible to cyber-attacks and identity theft. There are several loopholes in the IoT network that are easily exploited by hackers to gain remote access to the IoT devices. There are several security issues that make the whole IoT network susceptible to cyberattacks.
Lack of user Knowledge and Awareness
Over the years, users have learned how to perform virus scans and how to secure their passwords. Since IoT is a new technology, users don’t know much about it. One of the biggest IoT security risks is the user’s ignorance and lack of awareness of the IoT functionality. As a result, everyone is at risk.
Manufacturing of IoT devices
The primary source of most IoT security issues is that manufacturers do not spend enough time and resources on security. Due to this, there are a lot of loopholes. The following are the hardware related issues:
- Weak, guessable, or hard-coded passwords
- Hardware issues
- Lack of a secure update mechanism
- Old and unpatched embedded operating systems and software
- Insecure data transfer and storage
Botnet attacks
A single IoT device infected with malware does not pose any real threat. It is usually a collection of them. This kind of attack is called a Botnet Attack. Therefore to perform a botnet attack, a hacker creates an army of bots by infecting them with malware and directs them to the target. IoT devices are highly vulnerable to malware attacks.
Data Integrity
Most IoT devices extract and collect information from the external environment. It involves continuous streaming data. This data is not sent as raw data because anyone can access this data and manipulate it. Hence some kind of encryption and decryption has to be done.
Rogue And Counterfeit IoT Devices
Without any authorization, users are installing rogue and counterfeit IoT devices in secured networks. These devices do harm to the other existing systems. These devices break down the network parameter.
IoT Security solutions
We have addressed some major security concerns of the IoT network. Let us now look at how to address these issues and moreover what are some of the major solutions.
Encryption and Decryption
Encryption is the safest way to transmit and receive data. It is a process that encodes a message or file so that it can be only be read by certain people. Due to this, the set of data is converted into a codeword and it is sent to the cloud. Cryptographic algorithms help in encryption. At the receiving end, decoding/Decryption is done to retrieve the data.
Testing IoT hardware
The testing of IoT devices includes range, capacity and latency. The chip manufacturers of the IoT devices also need to reinforce the processors for more security and less power consumption. Third-party components and modules that they are using in their IoT devices to ensure their proper functioning with their IoT applications.
Develop secured IoT apps
IoT applications must emphasize the security aspect of their IoT applications. The perfect balance between the User Interface and Security of their IoT apps. Therefore, to ensure a secure connection between an IoT device & app, use IoT public key infrastructure security methods.
Secure the Network
IoT devices are connected to back-end systems. These are already connected to the Internet. Hence, this network plays a crucial role in the smooth operation of IoT devices. Features such as antivirus, anti-malware, firewalls are must be used.
IoT API security methods
Providing the capability to validate and sanction data movement amongst IoT devices, backend schemes, and apps employing standard RESTful APIs. API security is critical for defending the integrity of data transiting between IoT devices to make sure that only trustworthy apps are collaborating with APIs as well as spotting possible threats and attacks against particular APIs.
Authenticate the IoT devices
Allow the users to authenticate the IoT devices by introducing multiple user management features for a single IoT device and implementing robust authentication mechanisms. These measures include 2 factor authentication, digital certificates and biometrics. Given below is a basic block diagram of user to device authentication.
Conclusion
When building an IoT system, it is necessary to think about the flaws and the security breaches related to it. In this blog, we have seen the most common security concerns. Moreover, users tend to ignore most of the issues. People tend to only think about the benefits of IoT. The information becomes compromised. We have also seen the various security solutions for security problems and how it is implemented. Moreover, by doing so we secure the IoT network.
