Key takeaway from High Tech Summit: High need to maximize end-to-end IoT security
This year’s High Tech Summit in Copenhagen gave many insights into the future of the Internet and IoT solutions. One crucial point for wider adoption of IoT products is to keep security as the highest priority to protect from cyber threats.
Develco Products participated in High Tech Summit in cooperation with the INCOM project that aims to create a greener and faster internet. Within the project, Develco Products focuses on maximizing end-to-end IoT security.
High need for IoT security
At High Tech Summit, IoT security was a big part of the agenda as its importance is being recognized more and more. Whether it is confidential business information or individuals’ private data, sensitive data is a lucrative opportunity for threat actors. Unprotected IoT devices can be harnessed for botnets or held hostage to ransomware. A secure end-to-end IoT solution protects against attacks and ensures safe use of wireless devices.
As part of the participation in the INCOM project, Develco Products’ IoT security engineer Mohammed Kemal held a presentation on end to end IoT security at High Tech Summit. Two main takeaways could be drawn from this presentation: For one, both end-users and solution providers have an important part in securing IoT solutions. On the end of the solution providers, we then suggest a layered approach towards IoT security to ensure maximum protection.
Securing devices is a group effort
The responsibility when securing IoT devices is split between the solution providers and the end-users. While manufacturers have to provide secure solutions and software updates, the user has to apply them. To ensure a truly secure end-to-end IoT solution, it is therefore important that solution providers help their customers understand their share of responsibility in securing IoT devices.
Layered approach for designing IoT security
In the IoT industry, there are many different devices and use cases including wireless sensors, low powered embedded devices, internet connected wearables, smart meters, and more. To create an IoT security strategy that supports a range of use cases and devices, the WSO2 layered approach towards security is adopted under the scope of INCOM project. WSO2 is an open source technology provider who developed a layered approach to maximize IoT security. The main IoT layers covered by the reference architecture are the following:
- The cloud or server-side architecture that allows us to monitor, manage, interact with and process the data from the IoT devices
- The networking model to communicate to the gateway with IoT sensors and to the cloud
- The gateway layer to aggregate device data and provide it in an accessible format
- The devices and sensors themselves providing data and responding to commands.
Within each of these layers, security considerations have to be undertaken. Find out which considerations we recommend here.
