Internet of Things
The protection of billions of IoT devices requires a security first approach
By Rob Spiger, vice president of Trusted Computing Group and Steve Hanna, co-chair of the Embedded Systems Work Group A
t a time when reliance on the Internet of Things (IoT) is greater than ever in homes, healthcare, industrial and business settings, it is imperative that security is made
a priority right from the outset. The Cybersecurity Tech Accord cites 26.66 billion active IoT devices in 2019 and estimates there will be around 50 billion consumer IoT devices worldwide in 2022 meaning there is a new wave of security risks that have never been seen before.
Growing sophistication of cyberattacks
As attacks become increasingly sophisticated, there is more to lose than ever if sufficient protection is not in place. The current threat landscape presents a wide field of opportunities for hackers. Manufacturers are making an increasing variety of IoT use cases at a rapid rate as they rush to offer the best capabilities at the cheapest price possible causing security to often take a back seat. This has caused a real urgency for a “security first” approach, where devices are safeguarded right from their conception until the end of their lifecycle. If not, it is possible for malware to exploit vulnerabilities within the product and create an access point through which large amounts of personal data can be stolen and other devices on the same network can also become targets.
The critical impact
Cyberattacks in today’s age result in huge consequences, particularly with the adoption of IoT spanning several industries. Within the home, items such as smart fridges or baby monitors could be used to access highly sensitive personal information, while in an industrial setting it is possible for widespread chaos, as entire systems could be taken offline or vast amounts of commercially sensitive data stolen. It has become such an issue that the National Security Agency and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the USA, have made a series of recommendations for immediate actions to reduce exposure across operational technologies and control systems.
The 2016 Mirai botnet demonstrates the severity attacks can have, as it preyed on more than 600,000 vulnerable devices to cause a worldwide internet blackout. It was the result of
36 November 2020
one attack infecting whole networks and using each device as a springboard to attack others. In fact, it is estimated that cybercrime costs the global economy $2.9 million every minute. Therefore, it is essential developers learn from the past and adopt technologies which provide adequate security, to prevent the critical impact cyberattacks have on individuals, organizations and businesses.
Trusted computing is the answer With new applications for IoT continually being presented, including everything from connected cars to wearable technologies, it is important there are a number of security standards developers and manufacturers can turn to for creating resilient technology which provides the best protection. In an ecosystem where there are many devices, environments and systems with varying complexities, the best mechanism is defense in depth. It is crucial that each device plays its part
Components in Electronics
in safeguarding the entire network, by being able to report its integrity and protect its own software and hardware.
The Trusted Computing Group (TCG) has developed a wealth of security standards and trusted computing technologies which address the security challenges of today and the future. Utilizing Roots of Trust (RoT) as a foundation for the security of every device, TCG ensures that all safeguarding needs from the smallest devices to Industrial IoT (IIoT) are met.
Establishing a hardware Roots of Trust
Vital to the security of any device, is the ability to determine its integrity. The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) provides standardized hardware RoT to help measure integrity and provide health checks and authentication services. It has been adopted in millions of devices due to its
effectiveness at helping to protect against even the most sophisticated attacks. The TPM is a computer chip that can be implemented into a variety of systems with varying security levels and provides technicians with secure storage of boot and runtime integrity measurements, as well as private encryption keys and cryptographic secrets. These TPM capabilities can be used to prevent hackers from being able to replace code on devices and access encrypted data by isolating keys, so data remains protected from unauthorized users.
In response to the continued advancement of cybersecurity threats, TCG has recently released its TPM 2.0 Library Specification with upgraded capabilities. Providing enhanced security and platform features, this latest standard can be applied to a whole range of IoT devices with TPMs to make systems robust, resilient and safe from attack.
www.cieonline.co.uk
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