IoT devices have become more prevalent in our everyday lives and have even trickled into businesses. From thermostats to monitors for manufacturing equipment, almost every device that we use today has some form of ‘smart’ option for it. While this may seem like a great and easy way to slide into the technological future, the security risks for these devices are often overlooked. There are a few things to keep in mind when considering the security of your network when involving IoT devices.
- Discovering your devices – Do you know what is connected, and are you protecting it?
- Authentication and authorization – Are the default passwords changed? Have you limited the access of the items to the least privilege?
- Device updates – Do the devices need updates? CAN they be updated?
- Encryption – Not all devices can use encryption, but if the device has the processing power, consider adding encryption via lightweight ciphers like ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) and using trusted security protocols like TLS (Transport Layer Security)
- Segmenting your network – An important option to consider is segmenting your network – place your IoT devices in a separate zone with its own security policies which prevent escalation to other parts of your network.
Technology is ever expanding and evolving, and security for these devices is required to expand and evolve alongside it. Keeping a security-centered mindset is your best defense against threats to your network and your business.