The use of Internet of Things (IoT) platform is growing significantly driven by the promise of increased insight, enhanced customer satisfaction, and greater efficiency. The industrial equipment is increasingly connected to the internet for data collection and analysis, enterprises are opening themselves to the sophisticated world of security intrusions. One of the key concerns in adopting Internet of Things is robustness of security mechanism to mitigate security risks that arise after connecting devices to the internet. The nature of IoT deployment makes them vulnerable to cyber threats.
To safeguard IoT devices from cyberattacks and other malicious activities, organizations need to implement several best practices:
One is to secure these devices with in-built security mechanism. Few devices might operate continuously unattended, therefore not subject of frequent and direct observation. Securing these devices might be advantageous because they can block potential intruders from accessing data. Another practice to protect devices is to upgrade them or deploy security patches as required. Also, ensure that the vendors have devices that passed security testing. To ensure data integrity when connecting to a network, it is critical to carefully manage the identities of IoT devices.
After ascertaining that devices are devoid of malicious codes and other security vulnerabilities, companies need to check the security of the networks that connect IoT devices. With strong user authentication and access control mechanisms, businesses can ensure that only authorized users gain access to networks and data. The use of strong encryption to secure protocol is another practice for ensuring security.
Organizations also need to protect data generated from Internet of Things devices. A multitude of connected devices will be transferring and storing sensitive and personally identifiable data and thus additional security mechanism needs to be installed. Otherwise, companies will face an adverse impact on their business and regulatory penalties.
