Understanding the Internet of Things: Security Concerns & Solutions

The world has become a vast network of invisible connections. The internet enabled people to communicate with one another remotely, even though they live miles apart. The Internet of Things (IoT) has been created to connect people and the things they use every day. IoT is now a part and parcel of our daily lives, without us even realizing it. IoT is making a huge impact on our lives and businesses. It is transforming almost every industry and improving the quality and quantity. Many industries and companies use IoT to ensure smooth operations.
IoT is simply the interconnection physical items using software to exchange information over the internet and perform remote activities. IoT increases the risks to a business. IoT can handle data that is potentially very sensitive and must be able to perform its functions without compromising the integrity and security of the data.
Today we will discuss the security issues of IoT, and the solutions.
Security concerns with IoT
Let’s first discuss some of the use cases of IoT before we get into the security concerns. These are some of the Smart IoT devices we use every day.
Smart Wearables (Fitness watches and bands)
Smart home devices (Televisions and Speakers, Lights, Security Cameras, etc.)
Healthcare systems (MRI, Insulin machines etc.
Agriculture (Soil and Energy Monitoring).
Smart Access Cards are used to monitor and authorize systems (Smart Access Card).
Connected and autonomous vehicles
Logistics and Supply Chain Management
All these devices have access to sensitive and private information.
Imagine a bank using a smart surveillance system for all its assets. An intruder could gain access to all bank assets and eventually bring down the bank if the system is compromised. Mirai Botnet, a malware service, took control of an immense number of IoT devices by using DDoS attacks in 2016. This is the largest DDoS attack in history. These attacks are caused by vulnerabilities in a system. According to ARM (a major semiconductor design company), vulnerabilities in an IoT network that could lead to attacks could be classified as:

Security Solutions
IoT systems aren’t automatically secure so we need to add extra protection to prevent unexpected attacks and keep devices up-to-date without enabling vulnerabilities. These are the top 8 security solutions that can be implemented in an IoT System.
Secure IoT Network

To prevent unauthorized access, a secure network must be maintained between IoT devices as well as back-end servers. You can do this by using firewalls, antiintrusion systems, or anti-malware services.
Multi-Factor Authentication:

Methods like 2-factor authentication, digital fingerprints, PKI security, and others, increase security and allow for management of multiple users for a device. Devices could be easily compromised if they don’t have secure authentication methods.
Data encryption:

Hackers could sometimes gain access to data being shared between devices by hacking into the network. Encrypting data can lower the risk because it hides the primary information and protects hackers.
Security Analytics:

Analyzing devices’ behavior and usage could help you determine how secure they are, and identify if they have been compromised. Automated security analysis tools can warn you before an attack and protect your privacy.
Firmware updates

Keep your devices up-to-date with the most recent security patches and updates to fix any known vulnerabilities and keep hackers away from your devices. It should be a regular part of product lifecycle management. Allowing automatic updates to devices in the backgrou