The Internet of Things (IoT) is
gradually transforming the way people go about their daily chores or how enterprises
conduct their activities. It is the harbinger of everything ‘smart’ the world
is aspiring for. The days are not far when IoT can make science fiction a
reality to a great extent. It improves efficiency, productivity, comfort,
convenience, responsiveness, and management, besides reducing cost and waste. The
Internet of Things has the capability to transform homes and offices and help
create islands of efficiency amidst the presence of legacy systems. The IoT
revolution is mostly visible in the way employees of enterprises have been
using the IoT-enabled devices remotely to connect with their offices.
Today’s employees who are
wont to bring their digital devices like laptops, tablets or smartphones to
offices have graduated to bringing IoT-enabled devices like e-readers,
wearables, game consoles, or even smart printers and coffee makers. Even if
these devices have given convenience and efficiency a new meaning, they bring
with them a new set of challenges involving cybersecurity. If earlier the
security teams at offices were tasked with securing the company’s assets and
the devices brought by employees, today, the challenge is formidable. In the new
IoT-enabled ecosystem, security teams have to deal with devices they are not
used to handling earlier. These include coffee makers, smartwatches, fitness
trackers, and remotes, among others. Thus, the IoT-enabled devices may have
attendant security concerns that many enterprises are not prepared to deal
with. And if left on their own, these devices can play havoc in the day and age
of cybercrime.
The present BYOD (Bring Your
Own Device) protocol being run at enterprises needs to be scaled up to include
the advent of IoT-enabled devices. So, let us understand how organizations can
strengthen their security systems to ensure the safety of IoT devices for a
remote workforce. This calls for conducting stringent IoT testing across
the digital landscape.
The value of IoT
security and how IoT security testing is the key
A study by Gartner, the
global research and advisory firm, states that the number of IoT-enabled
devices is likely to cross 20 billion by 2020. With the increased integration
of IoT into people’s lives, there will be a greater dependence on such devices to
derive data and draw inferences from the same. However, this also increases the
security risk from such devices - for individuals, groups, enterprises, organizations,
and entities. The risks can be varied and annoying. For example, cybercriminals
can break into an IoT ecosystem and capture the video feeds as well as block
access to the real users of such feeds. Also, in radiation monitoring devices,
cybercriminals can exploit any inherent vulnerability to target critical
infrastructure. The field of medicine is one potential area where IoT has made
rapid ingress with smart wearables to monitor critical parameters. Again, the lack
of security testing here can give a long rope to cybercriminals to make good
with sensitive patient related data.
To pre-empt cybercriminals
from wreaking havoc on the IoT and connected ecosystem, enterprises should put
increased focus on IoT penetration testing. This way they can identify the
vulnerabilities or glitches within such systems and fix them. For a remote
workforce dependent on the successful performance of such devices, stringent IoT
testing can take care of any potential security issue.
What is IoT penetration
testing?
In this type of testing, an
assessment is made on the usage of various components within an IoT-enabled
device to make it safer. However, given that such devices have numerous
interfaces with third-party devices or software suites, it is indeed
challenging to plan an all-encompassing IoT testing approach for devices
with so many end-points.
Benefits of IoT
device testing
Testing IoT applications,
especially through pen testing can have a host of benefits for enterprises.
Strengthening
device security: The
vulnerabilities within devices can be identified and fixed. Thus, the
machinations of cybercriminals can be nipped in the bud and sensitive information
safeguarded.
Prevention of
unauthorized usage: IoT devices
should have multiple layers of security to prevent any unauthorized usage.
However, glitches within such devices can be exploited to gain access to sensitive
or critical areas or databases causing data breach or worse, endangering the critical
systems controlled by such devices.
Eliminating
elevation of privileges: The usage of
IoT devices in organizations comes with a layered approach having a proper
distribution of privileges. At each level, the person entrusted with deriving
data and insights from such devices has access that is not available to everyone.
This ensures the device continues to function seamlessly and generate the
necessary outcomes required of it. However, the lack of IoT security testing
can allow cybercriminals to exploit the access privileges and steal sensitive
personal or business information. This can have serious security implications in
areas where the successful functioning of such devices has extensible security
dimensions. A robust pen test can search for vulnerabilities and secure them
from further exploitation.
Strengthen data privacy:
The IoT-enabled devices must adhere to
stringent industry regulations failing which enterprises using such devices as
a part of their IT infrastructure can face censure, penalties, or an outright ban.
The application of a robust IoT testing methodology can enforce such
protocols thereby ensuring data privacy.
Setting strong
encryption: The software
suite running any IoT device connects to the servers of various third-party
applications to exchange data and information. If the data exchanged between
devices or servers are not encrypted, they can be easily snooped into and
exploited. The IoT penetration testing
validates the effectiveness of encryption ensuring the transmission of data
among such devices remains safe and secure.
Conclusion
The IoT landscape has become
very complicated with myriad devices having sundry end-points conducting data
transmission intermittently. This has made the job of developers and security
teams challenging. However, ensuring the security and performance of
IoT-enabled devices is underpinned on understanding the complexities of device
platforms and conducting stringent penetration testing.
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