10 WAYS TO SECURE IOT DEVICES


Magnitude of growth

The Internet of Things (IoT) is growing very rapidly with an estimated 5.5million new devices being connected to the internet every single day. More and more devices at home and in businesses are getting connected to the internet. According to Gartner, 20 billion devices will be connected to the internet every by the year 2020. The allure of its convenience and efficiency is very profound, hence the rush to get connected is very immense. However, in as much as IoT represents convenience, it also represents a security risk. Leaving devices unsecured is the digital equivalent of leaving a vaults door unlocked. It poses a huge security threat.

Ways of securing IoT devices

1. Connect devices only when you need them

Just because the AC, TV and Coffee maker can be connected to the Internet does not mean you keep them connected even when you do not need them connected. This will reduce your susceptibility to cyber-attacks. It is also important to understand the risks of connecting a device to the Internet before doing so. This way you will understand the security measures that will need to be implemented to avoid jeopardizing your security.

2.Pick good passwords

Create strong passwords for each of your devices. Also, avoid using the same password for all your devices. If a hacker manages to acquire a password of one of the devices, he may try it on all the other devices hence making your devices very vulnerable. You can use a password manager to help you track your passwords.

3.Use separate networks

For those devices whose security you find questionable, you might need to use a different network. This reduces your exposure to risk.

4.Retain physical security

IoT devices control physical objects remotely. These include doors, windows and vaults locks. If these physical objects are hacked, the hacker can gain or allow unauthorized access to these places leading to intrusion and theft. However, if there exists physical security, they offer an extra set of eyes and ears ensuring improved safety.

5.Avoid Universal Plug and Play (UPnP)

UPnP is designed to ease networking of devices by aiding them to discover each other. This eliminates the need for configuration However, it makes devices like routers and cameras very vulnerable to attacks. The UPnP protocol is very vulnerable hence hackers could discover your devices from beyond your LAN. To avoid this, turn off UPnP.

6.Constantly update your firmware

Constantly updating one’s software enables to always have the latest security patches hence reducing the chances of an attack. Firmware vulnerabilities are constantly fixed as they emerge through updates. If possible, automate the update process or set a schedule to constantly scout for and download them. When purchasing devices, ensure that they have secure firmware policies to avoid compromise through unsanctioned updates.

7.Track your devices

It is very paramount to track every device connected to the network while monitoring the traffic flow. This enables you to constantly the level of access your devices should have and to keep them patched up and up to date. It also enables you to identify any red flags, for instance, unidentified or rather unknown devices in the network.

8.Use encrypted protocols

IoT devices have inferior and insecure encryption practices. Very few of them utilize encrypted communications as part of their default configuration. Instead, most of them use the ordinary web protocols that use plain text to communicate across the internet making them easy targets for hackers. Ensure that all Internet communication uses HTTPS, SFTP, TLS and DNS security extension at the very least. All devices that connect to the mobile through mobile phone applications and other gateways ought to use encrypted protocols and should as well encrypt the data stored on drives.

9.Avoid using personal devices in business networks

Do not use personal IoT devices on the business network. There has been a rising concern in the recent past regarding the security concerns of wearables. Personal devices may not be secure enough hence end up creating a weak spot within the network. If you must, then use them on a guest network.

10.Implement a failover design.

Ideally, IoT devices ought to function when there is no Internet connectivity. However, this is not the case for many IoT devices. Most of them are not designed to cope with internet failures. It is therefore important to implement a failover or a manual override for crucial devices like door locks and security camera monitoring devices.All businesses and smart homes are prone to cyber-attacks. Therefore, it is very important to be informed and prepare for the likelihood of cyber-attacks as this will enable you to prevent or mitigate such attacks.
Source : http://blog.enrgtech.co.uk/10-ways-to-secure-iot-devices/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Little Know more about Brush-less Motors

Image
Brushless motors Brushless differs from conventional dc motors in the sense that it does not have brushes. Commutation is done using electronic drives to feed power to the stator windings. They consist of a rotor which is in the form of a permanent magnet and a stator that is in the form of polyphase armature windings. A  brushless DC motor  can be constructed in two ways; one is by placing the rotor outside the core and the other is by placing the rotor inside the core. How a brushless motor works Brushless motors are driven by electronic drives that  switch  the supply voltage between the stator windings while the rotor turns. There is a transducer that monitors the position of the rotor as it turns and conveys the information to an electronic controller. The controller then decides which stator winding to be energized based on the position of the rotor. Electronic drives are made up of two transistors each phase which is run by a microprocessor. T...
Read more

LED Modules: Manufacturer,Types and Application

Image
LED Modules Light-emitting diodes (LED) modules are LED self-contained devices that are designed to either function on its own or to plug into a compatible unit. These modules are mostly used in the development of both energy-efficient and portable lighting.  An LED contains several LED bulbs that are connected to a fixture that contains a battery or an alternative power supply which powers all the bulbs contained therein. LED modules can either emit white light or emit different colours based on the material they are made of. They are prominently used for advertising and signages but could as well be used for other purposes due to their versatility. Types of LED modules There are a variety of LED modules available in the market. There no specific parameters that can be used to categorize LED modules . They can be categorized in terms of efficiency, form, CCT, colour among others. Some of the common ones used in signage and advertising include; Side LED mod...
Read more

Block-chain: A Complete Beginners Guide | Block Chain Technology

Image
Blockchain technology Blockchain technology is barely three decades old, but it has completely changed global money transfer as we know it. It was first conceived in 1991 by a group of researchers who originally intended it to be used to timestamp digital documents to make it impossible to tamper with them. This concept was first put into actual use in 2009 by Satoshi Takamoto to create Bitcoin. Bitcoin has since spurred the adoption of  blockchain technology  for cryptocurrency, medical records, and land records among others.  What is blockchain? A blockchain is a network of computers that share a digital ledger that is duplicated and distributed across all participants in the network (nodes). That is to say that each node on the network has a duplicate copy of the ledger. The digital ledger keeps a chain of transactions since the creation of the network. The chain of transactions keeps growing as new blocks of transactions are approved and then added along....
Read more