As the Internet of Things – or IoTs – grow more popular, and garner more users than in recent years, there’s now a call for better cybersecurity when it comes to such technology. But to secure data in IoTs require an effective cybersecurity framework.
But before we would for certain what needs to be done to secure the data in IoT devices, we must first understand the risks, and how they can be detrimental to these devices.
Security Risks Of Using IoTs
“Humans may have the ability to turn computers on and off, but there are other things that are beyond their control,” says Amber Cortez, a risk management blogger at State Of Writing and Boomessays. “Even as we expect IoTs to help automate activities so that we can get to more important things, our data can still be at risk.”
Bluetooth Connections
Bluetooth connections are radio wave signals that are short-distance and low in frequency. Bluetooth connects devices to one another, usually within 30 feet. However, this connection isn’t always network-enabled.
Common Risks Of IoTs
Since Bluetooth and IoTs connect in more ways than one, they also risk being victims of cyberattacks. Here are 5 of the too-often security risks that IoTs pose:
Authentication
When connecting to a network-based service, it’s usually a username and password that you would enter. Or, you would include multi-factor authentication to make it difficult for cyber criminals to access your device.
White Paper suggests that you enable IoT multi-factor authentication options such as:
- Smartcards, or a Code-generating device
- Pin numbers, or another password
- Biometrics (i.e. fingerprint)
Bluetooth connections lack this ability to authenticate your identity.
Confidentiality
Since the connection between IoT devices aren’t as secured as they should be, it’s easy for information to get intercepted, even when the user is using “public Wi-Fi.” According to IntechOpen, there have been methods tried to limit the unnecessary disclosure of users’ information on IoTs: access control and cryptography. However, those are only temporary solutions to an ever-evolving problem in IoTs.
Authorization
Bluetooth isn’t capable of protecting IoTs from unauthorized users and programs. Amazon Web Services (AWS) defines authorization as “the process of granting permissions to an authenticated identity,” which can determine who and what programs/apps can access an IoT. But again, without authorization, IoTs are open for “unauthorized” users and or programs/apps to access an IoT.
Integrity
With over 20.8 billion IoT users expected in 2020 (and counting), according to technology industry researcher Gartner, data integrity is expected in all IoT devices. But since you can’t authenticate users or set authorizations, virtually anyone can get into an IoT device and potentially do harm.
Pairing
Pairing can also be an issue for Bluetooth IoTs device, since it requires you to establish an information sharing connection between device, allowing other Bluetooth users to see your connection and join without your consent. ACM Digital Library suggest that it’s because of IoTs’ “lack of conventional user interfaces” – keyboards and displays – that “[make] many traditional IoT pairing approaches inapplicable.”
Why Risk Management Means Continual Assessment
As you can see, it’s not enough to leave IoTs in automation. In fact, IoTs need to have regular risk assessments, even if you don’t feel that they need it. And, since risks evolve over time, especially from the following activities:
- Users adding and removing devices
- Changes to access policies
- New vulnerabilities being discovered, AND
- Firmware and software updates on IoT devices.
Who Accesses IoTs?
“It’s important to see who is accesses to and from your devices, so that you can ensure the overall operational integrity of your connected environment,” says Phillip Manning, an IOT expert at Paper Fellows and Do My Assignment. “For instances, a business should be able to authenticate its users to ensure a more secure place for them, and as a means to keep their information safe from prying eyes.”
Get Ahead With Analytics
While IoT deployments tend to make security risks worse, this scale DOES have one advantage: abundant operational data about the devices, of which security teams can apply the analytics and AI techniques to:
- Examine devices
- Keep track of device status, AND
- Detect compromised devices
Conclusion
So, as IoTs continue to be used by billions of users worldwide, there’s still the need to ensure high-quality cybersecurity for such devices. As you saw in this guide, IoTs still have a long way to go to prevent the risks from happening in the future.
Katherine Rundell is a writer and editor at Personal Statement and Law Essay Help. She writes about risk management. Also, she is a tutor at Essay Writing Service.
Credit: Data Science Central By: Katherine Rundell
