The Internet of Things (IoT) has a nondescript moniker for a reason. Consider how many “things” are connected to your network today — even light bulbs are part of the global connected web. They might seem insignificant, but the smallest of things with an IP address needs to be secured, which is why IoT security has to be a higher priority.
The reason for making IoT security a priority is that when your “things” have an IP address and are connected to your network, they might also connect to your core business processes. While many of the items that are considered an IoT device are appliances, some will offer up more than typical appliance data — they’ll store data that is personally identifiable. If these are hacked, it could spell big problems for you, not only in fines, but also in damage to your reputation — which leads to losing trust from your clients.
Yet despite the importance of cyber security measures today, IoT devices have slipped through the cracks of an otherwise well-balanced security detail. Often, there is no oversight, no analysis or monitoring of IoT devices.
Where IoT Security Should Focus
Perhaps one of the reasons IoT devices tend to fall outside of the purview of traditional penetration testing is that they’re not as resilient as servers and other network infrastructure systems. Regardless, they need to be part of the process, so each device needs to be tested separately and with an eye on resiliency, which means taking a more cautious approach should be considered.
Integrating IoT Security
You’ve got security standards and controls already in place for your traditional system, so getting your IoT security standards to fit alongside might be a challenge. For example, it could be that you’ll have minimum requirements for alerting, passwords and other areas that are a non-issue with traditional systems, yet they become a stumbling block for your IoT devices.
Realigning your security standards might be the most efficient way to proceed. In many cases, this will include taking a fresh approach to your business continuity and disaster recovery process.
If you haven’t integrated monitoring and alerting to your strategy, now is the time, as having insight into what’s going on in your system is more important now than ever, especially considering that many attacks are so subtle and discrete they go undetected for months without a proper monitoring system in place.
Looking for an agent that can assist you in connecting to all the tools and services needed to bring your IoT security strategies to a better place? At Cloud Source, we’re that agent. Contact us and let’s talk about your unique needs and how we can address them.