IoT devices, increasingly used in smart homes, healthcare, manufacturing, and travel, pose new security risks due to potential hacking, control, or misuse by criminal actors. How can IoT security threats be evaluated and reduced across various industries?
Here are some essential actions and recommended procedures:
1. Establish the IoT ecosystem
The initial stage involves identifying the IoT ecosystem, which includes devices, networks, apps, and consumers of the IoT solution. You must diagram the data flows, methods of communication, interfaces, and component dependencies. This will help you comprehend the scope, complexity, and interconnection of the IoT system and also identify potential attack routes and vulnerabilities.
2. Perform a risk analysis
After determining this, conduct a risk analysis, which primarily entails analyzing the dangers, consequences, and chances of security incidents impacting the IoT system. You must examine the domain’s specific context and requirements, such as regulatory norms, business objectives, user expectations, and environmental factors. You can utilize frameworks and tools to guide your risk assessment process, for example, the IoT Security Maturity Model (SMM) or the IoT Attack Surface Framework (ASF).
3. Set up security measures
Once analyzes are done, put security controls in place, which are procedures designed to prevent, detect, and respond to security problems. Based on the risk analysis results and the domain’s security objectives, you must pick and implement the necessary controls. Encryption, authentication, authorization, firewall, antivirus, intrusion detection, backup, and recovery are some examples of security controls. You can create and apply security measures with the help of standards and recommendations such as the IoT Security Foundation (IoTSF) or the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF).
4. Keep an eye on and upgrade the IoT system
It now involves gathering and analyzing data, logs, and alarms from IoT devices, networks, platforms, and apps to monitor and upgrade the IoT system. A security operations centre or SIEM system must be built to guarantee real-time security visibility and reaction, and IoT devices must be frequently updated to resolve vulnerabilities.
5. Users must be educated and trained
After upgrading the IoT system, teach and train users who will interact with or administer the IoT system. You must increase awareness and provide information about the security risks and recommended practices associated with the use of IoT devices and apps. Policies and processes for user access, data protection, incident reporting, and security compliance must be developed and implemented. You must also provide security training and testing to users to confirm their knowledge and skills.
6. Examine and improve IoT security
Lastly, evaluate the effectiveness and performance of the security controls and processes to assess and improve IoT security. Audits, assessments, and tests must be performed to determine the security maturity and durability of the IoT system. To discover the gaps and vulnerabilities in IoT security, you must gather and analyze feedback, incidents, and lessons learned. You must also take corrective and preventive measures to improve IoT security.
Conclusion
IoT is continuing to transform how businesses run and how individuals live their lives. It is an important component of the digital transformation that many businesses are currently riding. Many companies, however, have yet to fully investigate how to defend IoT as part of their broader cybersecurity planning.
