Here are some best practices in the security of IoT device management:
- Always keep the IoT devices up-to-date and patched.
- Security for IoT devices has to be designed from the start of the development cycle and should not be an afterthought.
- IoT devices should be encrypted when data is stored locally or moving through a network.
- Use encryption keys to make sure that unauthorized access to IoT security management data is not possible. If a key is lost, the data should be considered compromised.
- All IoT devices should protect against unauthorized modifications or access. This can be accomplished with proper authentication and authorization that uses strong passwords or biometrics, depending on the application.
- It is important to ensure that proper authentication and authorization mechanisms are used at all times to protect against unauthorized access and modification of device data.
- Security threats to IoT devices can be mitigated by regularly patching software and firmware.
Let us discuss each of these in detail below:
IoT Device Management
1. Always keep the IoT devices up-to-date and patched
Keeping your IoT devices up to date will help you protect against known vulnerabilities and will allow you to take advantage of new features and improvements in the firmware. In general, updating your IoT device will help reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
It is important to note that some IoT device vulnerabilities can only be fixed if you have physical access to the device. If an IoT device is not feasible to update physically (e.g., if it is a device that is located in a remote location), then it may be possible to update the device over the air by configuring it for automatic updates.
2. Security for IoT devices has to be designed from the start of the development cycle and should not be an afterthought
Designing security into your IoT devices from the start will help ensure that security features are implemented correctly, make it easier for you to comply with security standards, and help you avoid having to retrofit security into your devices later on, which can be challenging and expensive.
When designing your devices’ security, you need to consider how they will communicate with each other and with other systems. The type of communication will depend on whether your devices connect directly or indirectly through networks or gateways.
3. IoT devices should be encrypted when data is stored locally or moving through a network.
Using strong encryption on your devices will help protect against unauthorized access to data. If a device is stolen, for example, then the data on it may be vulnerable. It is important to use strong encryption keys and to store them in secure locations.
When you use encryption on your devices, you need to store keys in a secure location. If an attacker gains access to the keys, they can decrypt communications between devices and systems as well as decrypt stored data on the device itself. Make sure that you have a plan in place for what you would do if you lost access to your encryption keys or if they were compromised.
