Security

Traditional applications store data on personal computers, smartphones, and servers, which may be standalone, connected on local networks, or connected over the Internet. Despite the best security measures, your computers or servers may be hacked, and your applications and data may be compromised by people with malicious intent.

An IoT solution involves not only your computers, smartphones, and servers but also many other non-computing devices, such as your home appliances, your car, and the machines in your factory, all connected over the Internet. IoT solutions are designed such that these things can be controlled remotely.

By increasing the number of devices communicating with each other over the Internet the points of vulnerability have increased manifold. While previously you had to focus on securing only your computing devices, now you have to protect non-computing devices as well. Sensors can be hacked into and made to send wrong data values, which could lead to incorrect actions, such as shutting down machines that are working just fine. Malicious instructions could be sent to machines to do things they are not supposed to.

Impact of Security Lapses

If your computers were hacked you could lose credentials that allow financial transactions to be executed with your confidential personal or business data. Both of which could result in a financial or reputational loss. In the case of IoT solutions, not only would data be compromised, but also hackers could take control of your home, car, industrial machines, or whatever devices your IoT solution manages. This can result in more than just financial or reputational damage.

The severity of the impact of a hack into an IoT system can vary from being simply inconvenient to life-threatening. An attack on a connected car disabling the brakes or on a connected health device, such as a medication pump hacked to administer too much medication to a patient, can be life-threatening. An attack on critical infrastructure, an oil well, an energy grid, or a water supply can cause widespread damage. An attack against smart door locks could potentially allow a burglar to enter a smart home.

While these are extreme examples and unlikely to happen in normal circumstances, you must have understood that security in IoT solutions should be given due consideration, and the right safeguards should be put in place. IoT platforms should be designed to accept data only from registered sensors and send control signals only to registered machines. They must have all the encryption required to prevent the interception and modification of data while in transit on the network.

IoT component manufacturers, from sensors to machines, must ensure that their hardware is tamper-proof. A software solution developer must focus on secure software development and secure integration between components. When deploying IoT systems, hardware and network security are critical safety measures.

IoT Vulnerabilities