The Internet of Things (IoT) has brought a paradigm shift to how we interact with technology in today’s interconnected world. From smart devices, wearables, and autonomous vehicles to industrial automation, IoT integration has transformed every aspect of our digital lives.
Now, as these IoT devices continue to become ubiquitous, the number of cyberattacks to take control of them for malicious intent is also increasing.
In this blog post, we will discuss the common vulnerabilities and channels in IoT devices and the best practices to overcome them.
Let’s begin.
Common Vulnerabilities And Challenges In IoT Devices
- Weak, Guessable, Or Hard-Coded Passwords
It’s a no-brainer if you use weak, guessable and hard-coded passwords to penetrate into the system using malware and compromise your IoT devices. Moreover, managing passwords of multiple IoT devices is a complex process and takes a considerable amount of time, especially for IoT devices managed over the air.
- Insecure Network Services
Hackers are always on the lookout for extracting information and compromising data breaches and communication protocols on IoT devices. These hackers use Man-in-the-middle (MitM), a malicious technique to attack and intercept the communication between two systems.
Cyberattackers utilize this technique to impersonate the original sender to deceive the other party into thinking they are the real person. This technique allows them to eavesdrop and extract sensitive information from the other party to launch broader attacks.
- Use Of Insecure Or Outdated Components
Another way to make your IoT devices susceptible to cyberattacks is to use insecure and outdated software components. Furthermore, manufacturers use open-source components to build IoT devices, leading to a complex supply chain that is quite challenging to track. These components offer a broad threat landscape, increasing the likelihood of cyberattacks.
- Remote Smart Vehicle Access
Hackers can also hijack your smart vehicles and gain control of your sensitive data and safety-critical systems. Not only that, but remote hacking may also lead to ransomware, where the hack can demand a massive ransom in order to give you back control of your vehicle.
Otherwise, you won’t be able to unlock your car or start your engine. These types of malicious intrusions can be detrimental to human lives as they can cause accidents as well.
- Insufficient Privacy Protection
Most of the deployed IoT devices gather users’ sensitive information that has to be secured and protected from cyberattacks. These data should be compliant with robust privacy protection, such as GDPR or CCPA.
Now this sensitive information about the users could be anything from medical history to driving behavior or even energy consumption. This insufficient privacy protection may lead to compromise users’ privacy and legal consequences.
- Insecure Data Transfer And Storage
It’s mission-critical for the IoT devices to be protected, whether they are idle or in transit to maintain the integrity of these IoT applications. Hackers attack IoT devices when they are compatible with end-to-end encryption within the ecosystem. The control of these IoT devices could have dire consequences as it facilitates automated decision-making processes.
- Lack Of Device Management
The management of security support on all IoT devices at the same time is one of the significant challenges within the ecosystem.
For instance, if an unverified device is connected to the IoT ecosystem, it will be able to intercept the communication, penetrate the system, monitor the networks, and gain access to sensitive data.
So, the primary focus of these IoT devices is to be updated and provisioned on a regular basis by using a fiber internet service. It’s essential for organizations to discover, identify and authenticate IoT devices to monitor and protect these devices.
- Insecure Default Settings
This vulnerability involves devices that don’t have default secure settings nor take any measures to make the devices more secure are attacked by hackers to restrict the users to modify configurations.
And once the hackers compromise these IoT devices, they will then attempt to penetrate every single vulnerability. That includes attacking default passwords, hidden backdoors and more to gain control of all the IoT devices. It also makes it difficult for the user to make changes to the IoT devices. Therefore, it’s crucial to have a thorough understanding of how to implement the proper controls to level up the security protocols.
- Lack Of Physical Hardening
This allows hackers to gain access to sensitive data, enabling them to attack at any time remotely and take control of the device.
These hackers can gain access and tamper with the physical layer of the IoT devices that are deployed in remote and dispersed locations. The compromised IoT devices will not be able to detect smoke, fire or any other unexpected motion. So, it’s critical to protect physical access and manipulation to prevent that from ever happening as it could bring dire consequences for human lives.
- Botnet Attacks
The IoT devices don’t regularly get security updates as most other computer software does.
Hackers harness botnets which is a large system to attack the IoT devices with malware. Furthermore, they also launch the attack by sending countless requests per second to shut down the IoT devices.
That’s why it’s crucial for IoT devices to be protected from cyberattacks. This is because a botnet has the ability to cause a serious security threat to various industries and sectors, including transportation systems, manufacturing, and electrical grids. That can certainly threaten the lives of a lot of people.
Best Practices To Secure IoT Devices Against Cyber Attacks
- Implementing Robust Device Authentication Mechanisms
IoT devices are a sitting duck waiting to be cyberattacked. That’s why it’s crucial to restrict its access for maximum security. For instance, if an IoT device shares the same network or other system and can be accessed on an open-network, they are prone to cyberattacks. So, you need to ensure that you secure your IoT devices before you connect them to the network.
Not only that but also ensure to dedicate a separate network for IoT devices from the rest and permit only restricted operational access. Implementing robust device authentication processes is also crucial to protect IoT devices, especially those in cloud and mobile environments. AI-powered cybersecurity should also be implemented to conduct behavior analysis that can distinguish between normal and suspicious activity and respond promptly.
- Ensuring End-To-End Encryption for Data Transmission
To securely transmit data from one device to another, it’s crucial to have end-to-end encryption. Also, use fiber internet service as it ensures an additional layer of protection. Your IoT devices are always susceptible to cyberattacks, even if your network and application are secure. Therefore, it’s highly recommended to implement end-to-end encryption to add an extra layer of data security.
Furthermore, you need to get security certifications and even opt for a single IPSec connection between your IoT devices and the application server to ensure maximum security. This meticulous approach using end-to-end encryption ensures a high level of security of your IoT devices regardless of the data’s location, whether it’s stored locally or in the cloud.
- Choose A Strong Password For Every IoT Device
Choosing “password” or “12345678” as your password is giving your sensitive data to attackers on a silver platter. It goes without saying that you need to keep a strong password for every device, including capital and small letters, numbers, and alphanumeric characters, to make it unique and difficult to hack.
We know it’s overwhelming to remember all those passwords, but it certainly is better than losing all that sensitive information. The best course of action is to note them down in your diary and refrain from using any electronic diary, as it can also be hacked.
Final Thoughts
Securing IoT devices in the age of internet vulnerabilities is an ongoing battle that keeps getting more difficult. As the number of IoT devices proliferates, so does the number of cyber attacks that compromise their operations.
However, individuals and organizations can overcome such an opportunity by understanding the vulnerabilities and best practices for securing IoT devices against cyberattacks.