It is no longer uncommon for us to look in various places and find IoT devices, they are in our homes and companies, or even with us on a daily basis. But the advancement in the use of these devices has brought with it numerous significant challenges, especially in relation to security, it is now that we must think about secure development for IoT devices.
As the number of network-connected devices is expected to exceed 29 billion by 2030, developing secure IoT devices is crucial to ensure information confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
The Complexity of IoT and its Security Challenges
IoT devices are designed to collect, process and transmit data autonomously. While promoting efficiency, this autonomy also introduces many security challenges. These devices have limited capabilities, so conventional security practices may not be directly applicable.
One of the first significant challenges for development teams is the great diversity of devices and communication protocols, and this dramatically increases complexity, making it fertile ground for mistakes in the embedded systems development process.
Among the most common challenges are denial of service attacks (DDoS), data interception, exploiting vulnerabilities and compromising the integrity of devices.
Even though it is still a relatively new field, we can already state some points as good practices for developing applications for IoT devices. Below, we will start to bring some of them.
However, it is always good to make it clear that what we will include here should not be understood as a finite list; a series of issues should always be taken into consideration to improve these best practice suggestions.
Secure Development for IoT Practices
Secure IoT devices must be integrated from conception to implementation. Addressing security as an integral component of the development lifecycle is crucial to mitigating potential risks, as we do for more traditional applications, such as web or mobile. Here are some essential practices:
1. Identity and Access Management (IAM)
In its document SP 800-183, NIST advises us that implementing a robust IAM system is essential to ensure that only authorized users and trusted devices have access to IoT resources. Device authentication and granular authorization are crucial aspects of this component.
2. Secure Software and Firmware Updates
At the OWASP IoT Project, we understand that providing mechanisms for secure software and firmware updates is crucial to fixing vulnerabilities and improving security over time.
Mechanisms such as digital signatures and integrity checks ensure that only legitimate updates are installed.
3. Secure Communication
We know that it is expected that information is exchanged between devices and their servers, whether the user is aware of it or not.
Therefore, guidance from IETF RFC 8446 states that communication between devices and servers must be encrypted to protect this communication against interception and data manipulation. Protocols such as TLS/SSL are essential for establishing secure communication channels.
4. Code Analysis and Security Testing
In ISO/IEC 27001:2013, we find guidance that performing static and dynamic code analyses is an essential practice. Identifying and fixing vulnerabilities during development significantly reduces exploitation risks.
Again, nothing differs; everything is the same as what is already good practice for web or mobile applications.
5. Privacy by Design
Integrating privacy principles from device design is vital. This includes minimizing data collected, implementing access controls, and ensuring transparency in data collection and processing practices.
6. Threat Modeling
As it is more specialized software, carrying out threat modeling will allow development teams to design threat scenarios for these devices.
Having these scenarios designed and understood by developers is essential to identify specific security requirements and thus provide these systems with better security conditions.
Read too: An overview of threat modeling in IoT environments
Ongoing Challenges and Evolving Threats
IoT devices form a dynamic ecosystem, and their constant evolution presents significant security challenges. Understanding ongoing challenges and adapting to this changing landscape is crucial to ensuring effective IoT security practices.
1. Attack Surface Expansion
In their article on “The future of IoT Security,” Forrester and Understand that the attack surface also expands as the number of connected devices grows exponentially.
Each new device added to the IoT network represents a potential entry point for cyber threats. The diversity of devices, from smart home appliances to connected medical devices, expands opportunities for adversaries to exploit vulnerabilities.
This concern is also evident in the article “A comprehensive study of DDoS attacks over IoT network and their countermeasures.” The concern is real, and we need to understand how it can be mitigated within the development process.
2. Complexity of IoT Ecosystems
Interoperability between devices and platforms is vital for the efficient functioning of IoT.
However, this interoperability also introduces complexity as different standards and protocols are employed. The heterogeneity of IoT ecosystems creates challenges for consistently implementing security measures, requiring customized approaches for each set of devices.
3. Magnified Privacy Risks
As IoT devices collect more personal data, the risks of privacy breaches increase.
The proliferation of smart cameras, biometric sensors and monitoring devices raises questions about who controls this data and how it is used. Compliance with regulations such as the General Data Privacy Law, or LGPD, in Brazil or even the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) becomes crucial.
4. Sophisticated Adversaries and Emerging Threats
Data is “the new oil,” and the lucrative nature of cyberattacks encourages adversaries to become increasingly sophisticated.
Targeted attacks, IoT-specific malware, and advanced detection evasion techniques are becoming more common. Additionally, emerging threats, such as side-channel attacks on low-power devices, constantly challenge conventional security approaches.
5. End-to-End Security
Integrating end-to-end security across the IoT ecosystem is a significant challenge. From edge devices to cloud platforms, every component must be secured. Lack of standardization in terms of security can result in weaknesses in the global security chain.
Strategies to Face Challenges
Adopting a proactive approach is mandatory to face these challenges.
This includes implementing ongoing vulnerability management programs, participating in security communities, and creating and adhering to IoT-specific security standards.
Additionally, educating the developers, operators, and end users on security best practices is critical.
The rapidly evolving IoT landscape demands an agile and flexible response to adapt to emerging threats. Collaboration between manufacturers, developers, security researchers, and regulators is crucial to creating a secure and resilient IoT environment.
In the final thoughts, we can’t forget that in a ubiquitous connectivity scenario, secure development for IoT devices is imperative. Ignoring security can result in severe consequences, from compromising sensitive data to physical integrity risks in critical devices.
By adopting secure development practices from the early design phase and integrating security into all aspects of the development lifecycle, developers can significantly contribute to creating a more resilient and reliable IoT ecosystem.
The ongoing challenge is to stay up to date with emerging trends and threats, ensuring that security strategies evolve in parallel with the rapid advancement of IoT technology.
