According to Dee Dee Pare of Cradlepoint, IT leaders and cybersecurity experts need to grasp the special issues that IoT devices provide, the significance of a zero trust approach, and how the appropriate network hardware can help secure your IoT ecosystem.
The desire to scale up new technology quickly frequently takes precedence over the obligation to keep it secure. One excellent example is the realm of the internet of things (IoT). IoT is expanding rapidly and has a favorable effect on sectors like healthcare, office buildings, manufacturing, and retail. IT administrators and cybersecurity professionals frequently face a gap between the scalability of their IoT environments and their ability to safeguard those environments. Thankfully, it appears that IoT security is starting to receive the attention it needs.
The Federal Communications Commission suggested the Cyber Trust Mark, a new IoT security initiative, in July. This plan, despite its sci-fi-sounding moniker, demonstrates how seriously the American government is treating IoT security. Certain IoT products, such as smart home appliances or security cameras, would get the Cyber Trust Mark if this idea were to become reality, signifying that they adhere to governmental criteria for IoT security.
Enterprises must continue to make every effort to secure their IoT devices in order to safeguard their networks, even as IoT security receives federal attention.
IoT’s Particular Security Issues
For businesses that want to secure their IoT environment, there are a few aspects of connecting to IoT devices and infrastructure that pose difficulties. First, the number of IoT devices in use has increased dramatically. In 2023, there will be an estimated 41.76 billion new window IoT devices on the planet. IoT device shipments are also anticipated to increase by at least 18% annually. This will cause IoT device sprawl for many firms, and quite simply, it already has. Any increase in IoT correlates to an increase in the possible attack surface, as many IT leaders and cyber security specialists are well aware.
Due to the difficulties and complexity, several IT professionals and business leaders are also concerned about the costs related to safeguarding an IoT environment. Consequently, companies are not spending enough on the technologies required to protect their IT architecture.
Along with cost issues and the sprawl brought on by IoT devices, many current security techniques are unprepared for how IoT devices interact with one another or for how malicious actors can compromise IoT devices. The majority of security measures, to start, are created with an agent or end user in mind. Passwords and even two-factor authentication are examples of this. IoT devices, however, are unable to respond like end users. Additionally, IoT devices’ limited processing capacity makes it more challenging for them to function properly if they must run sophisticated security software.
Although many businesses understand the need to safeguard their IoT environment, the current, widely used techniques fall short. Utilizing a virtual private network, or VPN, is one popular choice. However, setting up and maintaining VPNs on a large scale is difficult. Another fatal weakness of VPNs is that once a malicious actor enters the network, they can have unrestricted access. Private APNs, however, do not give businesses complete network control or the ability to determine how they secure their IoT deployments.
IoT and Security from a New Perspective
The security of IoT environments has long since fallen behind their rapid development. Cyber security professionals run the risk of always being behind how big their company’s IoT infrastructures can get due to the growing reliance of businesses on IoT devices, the expansion of connectivity technology like 5G, and the predicted tremendous growth of the IoT market. Because of this, it’s crucial for organizations to invest in the newest IoT connection gear and zero-trust technology while relying less on conventional security methods like VPNs and private APNs.
