The Internet of Things (IoT) now encompasses billions of sensing endpoints embedded in infrastructure and common artifacts — a number projected to drastically multiply over the coming years. Connecting this broad IoT attack surface to drive automation and intelligence has become pivotal across domains like energy, transportation, logistics, and healthcare. But that also introduces avenues for cyber intrusions that could endanger public safety, continuity of business, and national security. Recent incidents like the Colonial Pipeline breach illustrate emerging threat capabilities. So implementing reliable protections remains vital as dependency on IoT innovation hits an inflection point globally. This piece will cover the scope of exposures in IoT environments and proven safeguards organizations should embrace — with a look at how technologies like blockchain and operational technology frameworks can further harden defenses along with the potential of advanced data analytics.
IoT Adoption Opening New Cyber Frontiers
International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts over 55 billion connected devices will come online by 2025, representing compound annual growth of 12%. Extending connectivity and intelligence across societal and industry verticals brings immense possibility — but also risk if the foundations prove insecure.
To measure the rising frequency of such incidents, VPN provider Surfshark analyzed historical data of exposed IoT cyberattacks based on reports in leading online publications. Their aggregated findings show attack reports growing nearly 6000% over six years:
Healthcare, retail, and critical infrastructure sectors saw among the most reported events as lucrative targets. A different report by CyberMDX surveyed over 450 clinical engineers, medical device experts, and hospital IT professionals specifically around IoT security concerns — 87% said protecting proprietary research data hosted on connected platforms and medical equipment from ransomware was extremely high priority. And in the critical infrastructure category, the Transportation Security Administration issued a security directive in late 2021 covering pipeline cybersecurity — given only around 15% of such facilities had implemented leakage detection, much less resilient intrusion prevention.
So evident gaps exist, even in highly regulated entities like energy and healthcare. As IoT underpins increasing automation and service convergence across all facets of work and life, the threat landscape continues evolving apace.
Dissecting Key IoT Infrastructure Vulnerabilities
Because IoT environments encompass diverse components from hardware endpoints to cloud software, gaining visibility into all potential blindspots proves essential. Based on field data and subject matter expertise, frameworks like the UK’s IoT Security Guidelines outline common areas of concern:
Insecure Web Interfaces — Many IoT devices and dashboards still utilize default or weak credentials vulnerable to brute force. Gaining admin access opens the door to manipulate functionality or siphon data.
Lack of Encryption — Unencrypted payload data gets transported from sensors across networks to IoT platforms. Encrypting this endpoint traffic as well as data at rest would significantly limit exposure.
Infrequent Software Updates — Unlike typical IT equipment, many embedded IoT devices don’t allow for patch management. So known software defects persist — including severe ones like the Ripple20 TCP/IP stack flaws affecting hundreds of millions of endpoints.
Insecure Legacy Protocols — Communication machinery like Bluetooth, ZigBee, and Digi XBee often have weak authentication methods or encryption. And proprietary industrial protocols never designed for internet connectivity present security holes when converged with enterprise IT networks.
Lack of Visibility — With limited monitoring and asset management capabilities across fragmented IoT infrastructure, many organizations don’t even grasp the full scale of devices nor related vulnerabilities.
While insider threats remain a factor, compromised device identities and access present easier gateways for intruders — as with the Mirai botnet that hijacked thousands of IP cameras and routers into massive denial-of-service cannons.
Prioritizing IoT Cyber Resilience Measures
Given the distributed nature and intrinsic constraints of many embedded devices, completely eliminating IoT attack surfaces proves unrealistic. But organizations can significantly reduce risks by:
Multi-factor Authentication — Requiring an additional credential check like biometrics or one-time codes before granting access frustrates compromise of single usernames/passwords.
Microsegmentation — Logically and physically separating critical systems limits lateral movement after breaches. Set firewall rules restricting traffic between IoT, OT, and enterprise IT segments.
Frequent Patching — When possible, promptly push security updates to gateways, controllers, endpoints, and management software to close defects attackers exploit in the wild.
Encrypted Traffic — Encrypt sensor data streams as well as sensitive information at rest via protocols like TLS, VPNs, etc. to render stolen data useless.
Anomaly Detection — Statistically profile expected baselines for device and network activity so significant deviation triggers alerts to identify incidents faster.
Dark Data Monitoring — Analyze and learn from metadata like DNS and DHCP traffic often ignored as “dark data” for indicators of compromise enabling earlier intervention.
Live Pen Testing — Routinely test systems via authorized attacks mimicking adversary methods to validate where procedural or technical security controls fall short or have degraded.
More comprehensive IoT cybersecurity guidance appears across various industry frameworks — most calling for baking security into design rather than leaving holes customers must plug themselves later.
Leveraging Blockchain, Operational Tech, and Analytics
Two emerging technologies show promise for reinforcing IoT protections: tamper-evident blockchain distributed ledgers and converged IT/OT for industrial control systems. Further automating oversight via big data analytics and machine learning provides another layer of evolving defense:
Blockchain — This decentralized transaction ledger offers inherent tamper resistance and built-in identity verification. Blockchains ensure a perfect immutable activity record across the ecosystem. Private blockchain implementations avoid risks linked to public chains but deliver stricter access control to secure system integrity and notch up non-repudiation.
IT/OT Convergence — Information technology groups long focused on corporate security must collaborate much more closely with traditionally siloed operational technology teams managing plant floor environments. Bringing disciplined IT governance to OT assets while enabling OT context in security monitoring proves essential — especially with remote access risks.
Big Data Fusion and Analytics — Applying techniques like relationship mapping, complex event processing, and machine learning against IT and OT data in context allows spotting anomalies far faster across hardware, networks, applications, users, cloud services, etc. Advanced analytics moves beyond reactive alerts to predict emerging weaknesses.
The Path Forward
As automation and connectivity proliferate across finance, energy, transportation, healthcare, and manufacturing via embedded smart devices, sustaining trust necessitates securing these exponentially expanding IoT frontiers. But with comprehensive organizational vigilance, isolation measures, controlled access, and resilient systems engineering, enterprises can thrive while avoiding catastrophic cyber incidents. The future remains exceedingly bright for Internet of Things innovation and human betterment through applied data intelligence — if we lay the proper foundations.