Addressing The Security Concerns In IoT

Security is a major concern in IoT and ensuring it is quite a challenge.

The issue does not apply to smart devices alone. By employing the right technically advanced measures, smart houses, wearables, and fitness tracking apps can be made more secure than they presently are.

It seems like the security issues are rooted in the companies that make IoT devices. Many of the IoT devices available in the market these days are manufactured by small and relatively new companies that don’t have much expertise when it comes to various cybersecurity issues.

The truth is that many of the IoT manufacturing companies assign greater priority to connectivity and innovation over cybersecurity.

Approaches like this have led to numerous security vulnerabilities in IoT devices.

Insufficiency In Testing And Updating

One of the biggest problems of IoT devices is that many companies do not offer support to the devices after their release. Updating becomes necessary as new challenges surface but many IoT devices aren’t capable of being updated, even to prevent the most common types of cyberattacks.

What can be inferred from the issue is that a device that was confirmed secure at the time of its launch could become highly vulnerable after its release. Manufacturers focus more on incorporating the latest features into the device rather than addressing the age-old security flaws. This inefficient take of companies on security can put IoT devices in a permanently insecure state.

Failing to update affects the users and the company equally. The consumers will be distressed by their data being stolen while the devices of the company could fall victim to large cyberattacks that can have a serious negative impact on the reputation.

Use Of Default Passwords

The second issue with IoT devices is that they ship with default passwords and very often the users aren’t reminded to change the passwords to ensure the security of their home networks. This happens despite the warning from the industry experts and government about default passwords.

The high profile IoT hack, the Mirai Botnet compromised millions of IoT devices by using a method involving default passwords.  Although some UK-based web hosts could detect the attack and stop it from reaching consumer devices, devices of many manufacturers were hacked this way. However, as long as there aren’t any legal requirements that prevent the use of default passwords, the manufacturers will continue doing so.

Newer Ransomware

There are many complex reasons behind the susceptibility of IoT devices to security attacks.

The development of IoT devices is often carried out within a short time span and the developers will not get time to think about the accesses that should be granted to these devices. Hence IoT devices or apps often ask for more privileges than they actually need.

This is a really big issue because the spyware in IoT will gain access to a lot more information than it usually gets. Consider an example, IP cameras are sold as IoT devices that are used in webcams and smart homes. The manufacturer of the IP camera will ship without a solid and updated firmware for the device and with default passwords. If hackers get to know this default password, they can easily access the feed from the IP camera.

The situation can become really worse. The hacker can use the camera to capture sensitive information like passwords, credit card details, and personal footage of the users. He/she may then use this information to blackmail the victim.

Artificial Intelligence And Automation

Some issues related to IoT devices are rooted in the large size and complexity of IoT networks that lead to devices requiring artificial intelligence algorithms to be administered more than people. The influence of AI in IoT technology is keeping on increasing over the years. Many companies solely depend on AI to handle the vast amounts of data generated by user devices. The profitability of the devices largely depends on this functionality.

The underlying issue here is that AI can make decisions that may have an adverse impact on the lives and security of millions of users.  In the absence of required staff and expertise to analyze the consequences of these decisions, the security of IoT networks may be compromised accidentally.

This seems to be the most serious concern among all the issues listed here because AI-driven IoT systems are destined to handle many critical functions in society. From time-tracking software used to pay employees to machines that keep patients alive in hospitals, AI has wide-ranging applications.

Solving The Problem

The actions of individual companies and users are not enough to solve the problem completely. What is required is a paradigm shift in the industry. Make it a standard to sell IoT devices without obliging to keep it updated to overcome future security challenges.

Many problems mentioned in this article like the use of default passwords and the illogical approach to app permissions were solved years ago in relation to traditional software. As of now, the only thing required might be a logical approach to address the vulnerability of IoT devices and secure them.