IoT Security
Article | June 27, 2023
Introduction
Automation, interconnectivity, machine-learning, and real-time data are part of Industry 4.0, a new phase in the Industrial Revolution. Industry 4.0, which includes IIoT and smart manufacturing, combines physical production and operations with smart digital technologies. It creates a more holistic and linked environment for manufacturing and supply chain management organizations.
In today's production environment, "automation" has a new, more advanced meaning than it has in the past. Industry 4.0 refers to the necessity of lean, efficient operations and the function of sustaining and improving production. In contrast, IIoT distinguishes manufacturing gadgets from consumer products that can connect wirelessly to internal networks and the internet.
IIoT Powering the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Manufacturing, logistics, oil and gas, transportation, mining, aviation, energy, and other industries use the IIoT. Its main goal is to improve operations, mainly through process automation and maintenance. IIoT capabilities improve asset performance and allow for improved maintenance management. The introduction of Industry 4.0 technologies marked a significant milestone in the human-machine relationship's history. I4.0 was first talked about in 2011. Since then, it has proliferated because of new technologies such as cyber-physical systems, IT/OT convergence, AI/ML, Blockchain, and AR/VR.
Data is at the heart of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the main reasons behind this. The IoT is making a significant contribution in making businesses smarter and improving their workflows. Moreover, more data is being made and used by connected devices than ever before, from the home to the factory.
In order to thrive in the fourth industrial revolution, businesses must embrace new technologies. The general structure of IIoT applications is defined by standards-based industrial system architectures such as the Industrial Internet Consortium's Reference Architecture. Sensors and IoT devices, IoT middleware platforms, IoT gateways, edge/cloud infrastructures, and analytics applications are all part of the stack.
The Future of the IIoT
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is primarily regarded as one of the most significant current and future trends influencing industrial companies.
To comply with new rules, industries are rushing to upgrade their systems, machinery, and equipment. This is necessary to keep up with market volatility and deal with disruptive technologies.
Safety, efficiency, and profitability have all improved dramatically in industries that have adopted IIoT. As IIoT technologies become more widely adopted, this tendency is projected to continue.
Conclusion
The fourth industrial revolution has drastically altered our perceptions of things in the workplace. At a rapid rate, capitalists are becoming more interested in sophisticated ideas.
The way forward is to embrace existing and emerging technology throughout fundamental operations to unleash more enticing possibilities. It emphasizes the importance of comprehending the impact collaborative ecosystems can have as well as how they will become a major differentiator for generating value with a better-trained workforce.
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Industrial IoT, IoT Security
Article | July 12, 2023
Driving digital transformation in manufacturing: Embracing seamless connectivity, data integration and risk-proof IoT security for enhanced efficiency, product quality, and innovation in industry 4.0.
Contents
1. Introduction to IoT Security in the Connected Era
1.1 Significance of IoT Security for Business Resilience
1.2 Current Scenario of IoT Security
2. Next-Gen Authentication and Authorization for IoT Devices
3. Secure Ecosystems for Businesses Through IoT Network Access Control
4. Quantum Cryptography: Fortifying IoT Data Protection
5. IoT Security Providers for Connectivity in Businesses
5.1 Armis
5.2 Mocana
5.3 Inside Secure
5.4 V5 Systems
5.5 Nozomi Networks
5.6 Dragos
5.7 Claroty
5.8 ForgeRock
5.9 Praetorian
5.10 Security Innovation
6. Key Takeaways
1. Introduction to IoT Security in the Connected Era
In the connected era, the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has brought unparalleled convenience and efficiency to businesses and individuals alike. The interlinking of devices and their efficient networking is the need of the hour for businesses to function effectively with maximum productivity. However, IoT security has become paramount with the exponential growth of interconnected devices. Ensuring the security and integrity of these devices and the data they handle is crucial for businesses to safeguard their operations, protect customer privacy, and maintain trust in the digital ecosystem.
1.1 Significance of IoT Security for Business Resilience
IoT security in businesses encompasses a comprehensive approach to identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential vulnerabilities throughout the IoT ecosystem. This includes implementing robust authentication mechanisms, encryption protocols, and access controls to prevent unauthorized access. Monitoring and updating IoT devices to address emerging threats is essential to maintaining a robust security posture.
Business resilience requires staying proactive in the face of ever-evolving cyber threats. Regular security assessments, vulnerability testing, and incident response planning are essential to identifying and addressing potential weaknesses in IoT devices before malicious actors can exploit them. This proactive approach enables organizations to respond to security incidents swiftly, minimize the impact of a breach, and recover operations more efficiently.
1.2 Current Scenario of IoT Security
IoT security requires the integration of cutting-edge technologies, such as AI and ML, to proactively detect and respond to cyber threats. Businesses can identify patterns, anomalies, and potential security risks by analyzing the vast amounts of data generated by IoT devices. Advanced security measures also involve securing communication channels and adopting secure coding practices to minimize the risk of data breaches or tampering. Correct and legitimate information in IoT security is crucial, as inadequate security measures can expose businesses to significant risks. Cyberattacks targeting IoT devices, such as botnets, ransomware, and data breaches, have already resulted in substantial financial losses and reputational damage for organizations worldwide. To stay ahead of malicious actors, businesses must prioritize ongoing security training, collaborate with industry experts, and adhere to established security standards.
2. Next-Gen Authentication and Authorization for IoT Devices
The future of IoT security relies on next-generation authentication and authorization mechanisms designed to address the unique challenges of IoT environments. Biometric and behavioral authentication techniques offer enhanced security by verifying user identity based on physical or behavioral characteristics, adding an extra layer of protection for IoT devices. Context-aware access control adapts permissions dynamically based on contextual factors such as device location and user behavior, ensuring secure access in dynamic IoT networks. Additionally, smart manufacturing leveraging blockchain technology provides immutable and decentralized identity management, mitigating the risk of identity fraud and enhancing trust in IoT ecosystems. Embracing these advanced authentication and authorization approaches allows businesses to fortify the security of their IoT devices and establish a resilient foundation for the connected future.
3. Secure Ecosystems for Businesses Through IoT Network Access Control
IoT network access control plays a pivotal role in ensuring the security and integrity of business ecosystems. With the proliferation of IoT devices, controlling and securing access to these interconnected devices becomes paramount. Implementing robust network access control mechanisms helps businesses establish secure network segmentation, granting specific access privileges based on roles and responsibilities. Segmenting IoT devices from critical systems can contain potential breaches, limiting the impact on the entire network. Moreover, secure device authorization is essential for vetting and authenticating IoT devices before granting network access. Advanced authentication mechanisms, such as two-factor or certificate-based authentication, provide an extra layer of protection, ensuring that only trusted devices can join the network. This fortifies the ecosystem against unauthorized or compromised devices, reducing the risk of data breaches and cyberattacks.
In the digital era, where data is a critical asset, network access control is not only a technical imperative but also a business necessity. Businesses must prioritize implementing these advanced access control measures to safeguard their ecosystems, protect sensitive data, and maintain customer trust. A secure IoT ecosystem fosters business resilience, allowing organizations to fully leverage the transformative potential of IoT while mitigating security risks effectively.
4. Quantum Cryptography: Fortifying IoT Data Protection
The technology is shifting towards quantum computing, which possesses superior processing capacity. It can readily circumvent existing cryptographic algorithms. Quantum cryptography is a secure method for encrypting data and assuring the highest level of security by providing only a single secret key to decrypt, only in the data's owner's possession. In contrast to traditional quantum computers, quantum computing's cryptography relies on physical rather than mathematical properties.
It is a completely impenetrable system; imitating or viewing any data protected by encoded encryption in a quantum state is impossible. It is also impervious to any quantum computing applications. Public key cryptography algorithms, which are highly secure and ensure data protection against any quantum computer cyberattack, provide this protection against any quantum computer cyberattack.
5. IoT Security Providers for Connectivity in Businesses
5.1 Armis
Armis provides the foremost asset intelligence platform on the market, designed to address the new threat landscape created by connected devices. Without an agent, it offers rich facts and context for device identification and classification, including manufacturer, model, IP and MAC addresses, OS, reputation, and usernames. The platform monitors device behavior and detects active vulnerabilities and threats in real-time. Armis provides reliable threat detection and response using premium threat intelligence feeds and device behavior insights. The Armis Threat Detection Engine quickly protects the environment by combining threat intelligence sources. Policy violations and threat detections can be enforced automatically or manually, allowing companies to disconnect or quarantine suspicious or malicious devices through network infrastructure or integrated security solutions. Armis Agentless Device Security Platform installs easily without network changes. It enhances infrastructure to protect assets. Its technology provides visibility, proactive threat detection, and effective cybersecurity management to protect vital assets and company activities.
5.2 Mocana
Mocanacyber security for the Internet of Things, operational technology, and vital infrastructure. Mocana's tightly integrated solutions assist businesses in mitigating the risk of a cyber-attack, adhering to industry standards, and safeguarding intellectual property by ensuring that devices and processes are trusted end-to-end, from device fabrication to deployment. DigiCert for Connected Devices offers a streamlined and efficient solution for seamless application integration and migration, eliminating the need for custom code across various systems. This approach enhances resilience, maintains continuous perimeter security, and increases agility in responding to vulnerabilities or attacks. Digital trust is at the core of every endpoint, securing and hardening devices in the field with plug-and-play applications. Immutable identity simplifies device discovery and identification, streamlining compliance audits and providing real-time oversight of the entire IoT environment. Secure boot processes, remote shutdown capabilities, and comprehensive visibility and control over network connections further enhance security.
5.3 Inside Secure
Inside Secureis a leading provider of security solutions for mobile and connected devices. They offer a comprehensive software portfolio, silicon IP, tools, and expertise to safeguard customers' transactions, content, applications, and communications. With a strong focus on security, the company delivers products with advanced technical capabilities that cover a wide range of security requirement levels. They serve various demanding markets, including network security for IoT, content & application protection, and mobile payment & banking. Inside Secure's technology plays a crucial role in protecting solutions for a diverse range of customers, including service providers, content distributors, security system integrators, device vendors, and semiconductor manufacturers. Their deep security expertise and experience allow them to deliver innovative and differentiated security solutions to address the evolving security challenges in the rapidly changing landscape of mobile and connected devices.
5.4 V5 Systems
V5 Systems a technology firm recognized for introducing the world’s inaugural edge computing platform designed specifically for outdoor environments. The company has established a comprehensive solution addressing outdoor security, power, and computing requirements. V5 Systems delivers advanced outdoor security solutions along with a versatile computing platform capable of supporting various third-party applications. Additionally, the innovative ongoing power platform developed by V5 Systems enables unparalleled computing capabilities in any outdoor setting. With a commitment to leading the charge in Industrial IoT technology advancements, V5 Systems is dedicated to ongoing innovation. While the company prioritizes its customers and partners, ensuring the delivery of products and services with the highest level of enterprise support and customer care; it is focused on fostering a safer, smarter world, empowering stakeholders.
5.5 Nozomi Networks
Nozomi Networks specializes in protecting critical infrastructure from cyber threats, offering a unique platform that combines network and endpoint visibility, threat detection, and AI-powered analysis for faster and more effective incident response. To mitigate IoT data security challenges, Nozomi Networks recommends starting with the assumption that IoT devices are inherently insecure and each device can serve as a vulnerable entry point into the network and business processes. Key strategies to address IoT security challenges include network Segmentation by limiting connectivity of IoT devices and networks to the business network, Vulnerability Management and Cybersecurity Monitoring by Monitoring network traffic, which provides insight into device behavior and helps identify malicious events and zero-day attacks. It helps organizations identify all communicating assets on their networks, detect vulnerable OT and IoT assets, monitor IoT cybersecurity threats and process reliability.
5.6 Dragos
Dragoswitha global mission to safeguard civilization's industrial infrastructure, offers influential industrial cybersecurity technology through the Dragos Platform. This platform gives customers visibility into their ICS/OT assets, vulnerabilities, threats, and response actions. The strength of the Dragos Platform lies in its ability to incorporate Dragos's industry-leading OT threat intelligence and insights from the Dragos services team into the software. Additionally, Dragos adopts a community-focused approach, allowing customers access to the most extensive array of industrial organizations for collective defense and broad visibility. To ensure compliance with OT cybersecurity controls, Dragos provides industrial cybersecurity solutions tailored to meet cybersecurity control requirements, including NERC-CIP, TSA Pipeline, US Federal BOD, EU NIS, KSA OTCC, and more. Furthermore, Dragos WorldView Threat Intelligence provides situational awareness of adversary activity and vulnerabilities affecting industrial sectors, including adversary research, strategic intelligence reports and vulnerability analysis.
5.7 Claroty
Clarotyisa leading provider of industrial cybersecurity solutions, empowering organizations to secure cyber-physical systems across industrial, healthcare (IoMT), and enterprise environments, known as the Extended Internet of Things (XIoT). Their unified platform integrates with customers' existing infrastructure to offer a range of controls, including visibility, risk and vulnerability management, threat detection, and secure remote access. It offers Ongoing security and compliance posture management, including full asset inventory across the XIoT, A zero-trust security architecture critical for minimizing cyber risk in OT environments and Proactive threat detection and mitigation to address the difficulty of responding to evolving threats. With extensive experience in cyber risk management, Claroty provides robust solutions that cater to a wide range of industries, including electric, oil & gas, manufacturing, building automation systems, chemical, government, water, food & beverage, mining, transportation, and pharmaceutical.
5.8 ForgeRock
ForgeRock is a leading digital identity provider that offers modern and comprehensive IAM solutions for consumers, employees, and IoT devices. Their AI-powered identity platform enables organizations to achieve Zero Trust and Continuous Adaptive Risk and Trust Assessment (CARTA) security models quickly and efficiently across hybrid IT environments.ForgeRock helps organizations deliver Zero Trust and CARTA security by continuously identifying and remediating user access risks using AI-powered analytics. With ForgeRock Intelligent Access, organizations can build secure and dynamic user journeys without impacting IT resources or application performance. The platform allows authentication and authorization with context, such as user, device, behavior, and location. ForgeRock enables the infusion of modern identity into legacy systems and environments, applying Zero Trust principles across the organization. They provide free downloads and offer resources for organizations to learn more about their solutions and implement a robust zero-trust strategy.
5.9 Praetorian
Praetorian offers end-to-end Internet of Things product security evaluations and certifications, ensuring the security of IoT products from chip to cloud. Their solutions cover various technological domains, including embedded devices, firmware, wireless communications protocols, web and mobile applications, cloud services and APIs, and back-end network infrastructure. They have developed research-driven evaluation methodologies to address emerging security challenges based on the OWASP Application Security Verification Standard (ASVS). This approach allows for tiered pricing based on the comprehensiveness of the security review, accommodating different testing and budget requirements. They employ various techniques to uncover unknown vulnerabilities in their professional security evaluations, depending on the level of rigor required.
5.10 Security Innovation
Security is a reputable authority in software security, assisting organizations in building and deploying more secure software. The company specializes in software security, where traditional information security and business consultants often struggle. Security Innovation offers progressive training covering the full spectrum of IoT software assurance for builders, operators, and defenders. Security Innovation conducts IoT security testing for IoT and embedded systems to ensure the secure implementation of IoT software and firmware. They meticulously review connected devices' security threats and attack surfaces, examining physical, communication, infrastructure, and application levels. Their precision security testing focuses on high-risk areas that attackers are likely to target. IoT security testing outputs include security and functional objectives, identified attack vectors, and guidance on fixing vulnerabilities through mitigating controls.
6. Key Takeaways
Exploring the IoT security landscape in the era of connectivity is crucial as the Internet of Things continues to expand and impact various industries. As the number of interconnected devices surges, the IoT security landscape will become increasingly complex, with new threats and vulnerabilities constantly emerging. The need for advanced security measures and proactive cybersecurity strategies will be more critical than ever before. Innovations in device-based authentication and authorization mechanisms, such as biometric and behavioral authentication, as well as context-aware access control, will enhance the security of IoT ecosystems.
Furthermore, industry-wide collaboration and adopting security standards will be essential to building a resilient IoT security landscape. Manufacturers, developers, and stakeholders must prioritize security by design, ensuring that IoT devices are built with safety as a fundamental principle. Implementing secure development practices, conducting regular security audits, and establishing effective incident response plans will bolster IoT security.
Addressing security challenges becomes paramount as IoT devices become more interconnected and play a significant role in critical operations. With the growing adoption of IoT, a proactive approach to IoT security is essential to ensure the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of data and maintain the trust of users and customers. By prioritizing IoT security and taking proactive measures, organizations can fully realize the benefits of connectivity while mitigating the risks associated with the ever-expanding IoT landscape.
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Industrial IoT, IoT Security
Article | July 11, 2023
Manufacturing industry or the Industrial Internet of Things has been one of the driving verticals for development of 5G technologies. Wide 5G deployement for Industrial IoT has long been in the pipeline but we might expect it to be a reality very soon.
The true success of 5G depends on the verticals as trends suggest that that Industrial IoT alone will triple the number of needed base stations globally. And many verticals will need efficient wireless connectivity to become successful. 5G has features that are specifically designed to address the needs of vertical sectors, such as network slicing and URLLC. The ultra-reliable low latency communications and massive machine type communications required by the IIoT will soon be realized.
Table of Contents:
How Will 5G Impact Industrial IoT?
5G Accelerations for IIoT
Industrial 5G
How Will 5G Benefit Industrial IoT?
IoT is a B2B application and users just want to get actionable data from their sensors and not worry about whether it’s old data or unreliable data. I think 5G changes this dynamic significantly over the long term by standardizing and simplifying the experience and interactions, and possibly engaging more of the industry to help solve IoT’s problems but also improve the total experience.
- Anshel Sag, analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy
• Data-Transfer Speeds
Any IoT is said to be commercially successful depending on how fast it can set up communications with other IoT devices, software based websites or applications, phones, and tablets. 5G promises exactly all of this with significant increase in transfer speeds.
5G is 10x faster than its LTE counterparts and allows IoT devices to communicate and share data faster than ever. All IoT devices will benefit from the faster speed of 5G with reduced lag and improved sending and receiving of data and notifications between connected devices.
• Greater Network Reliability
5G networks also offer more reliable and stable connection which is extremely important for any IoT including devices like locks, security cameras and monitoring systems that depend on real-time updates.
With reliable connectivity consumers will be the greater beneficiary.
It is however, imperative for manufactures to trust and invest in 5G compatible devices to reap the benefits of high-speed connectivity, very low latency, and a greater coverage that will arrive with the next generation network.
READ MORE:How Will the Emergence of 5G Affect Federated Learning?
5G Accelerations for IIoT
• Diversity in Industrial IoT
The opportunities that industrial IoT bring with is varied and its used cases span the spectrum from indoor to outdoor, less demanding to mission-critical, data rate from dozens of bps to gbps, device motion from fixed to mobility, and power source from button battery to high voltage.
Predictive maintenance, smart metering, asset tracking, and fleet management are some of the commonly known opportunities for IIoT, which be extended further by 5G through continued diversity and expansion.
• 5G Inspires Untapped Frontiers
Industrial IoT application areas such as mobile robot control in production automation and autonomous vehicles in open pit mining require wide mobility, low latency and mission-critical reliability. They rely on wireless access at 50ms to 1ms latency and service reliability from 5 nines to 6 nines.
Though 4G/LTE has attempted to address these areas of IIoT application it has failed due to unsatisfactory performance. With ultra-reliable and low latency connection, 5G will take industrial IoT to unconquered spaces.
• Managing the Enterprise 5G Network
Typically, enterprise IT is responding to the business demand from Operational Technology (OT) and mandates security, integration, visibility, control, and compatibility. In this scenario, 5G is not about “what,” but about “how”. IT needs to consider the right approach to bring 5G to the enterprise and decide whether to co-manage with the service provider (SP) or self-manage. The experience of IT in managing Industrial Ethernet and Wi-Fi may not hold when it comes to 5G. IT will likely require OT’s partnership to address complexity, security, integration, and other new challenges that 5G presents.
Industrial 5G
The potential for industrial 5G huge as it enables whole new business models.
Industrial IoT has a core requirement of the ability to connect sensors, devices, software applications, production process, workers and consumers. The connectivity requires to be seamless vertical and horizontal integrations of all layers of automation pyramids that increases operational efficiency of the plant floor and the supply chain by optimal use of data, information and analytics. This can be improved by five key elements:
• Improved Connectivity
• Availability
• Low Latency
• Flexibility
• Speed
Industrial 5G will impact these areas of the manufacturing industry to guide the success of Industrial IoT.
Industrial 5G will play a key role in helping industrial users achieve the goals of Industrial IoT. 5G offers wireless communications services with reduced latency, increased connection density, and improved flexibility compared to the current 4G generation. 5G technology has a theoretical downlink peak speed of 20 Gbps (gigabits per second), which is about 20 times faster than the current generation.
The key is to start building IoT devices with broadly adopted operating systems, built-in security all the way down to the silicon, verifiable and updatable firmware, and mainstream application development tooling.
- Anshel Sag, analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy
The push and pull in achieving 5G success in IoT will be there until technology providers and end users work together to set up a consensus on standardization. The success will also depend on best-of-breed approach allowing the introduction of new technology over the lifecycle. Software and system integration will also be important attributes to a successful 5G deployment.
READ MORE:How Will IoT Revolutionize Pharmaceutical Manufacturing?
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Enterprise Iot
Article | June 28, 2022
Nothing is more innovative or sophisticated than the products being made by the wearables industry in the "smart" era. Individuals track, analyze, monitor, and transmit personal data using these tangible wearable gadgets. Moreover, the adaptable wearable technology is opening up new horizons with business-focused smartphone apps. However, it is still in its early stages, and according to recent developments in this field, the major players in wearable technology are concentrating on developing products with a focus on business applications.
These intelligent Internet of Things (IoT) devices are now widely employed in a variety of businesses and help detect biometric data such as heart rate and sleep habits, among others. In the coming ten years, wearable IoT technology or devices ought to become an integral part of every individual’s daily life.
Businesses around the world are incorporating the newest technologies into their functioning and are looking at digitally altering their impact in the market. With the majority of people already accustomed to using smartphones, they are now also getting familiar with utilizing wearable technology, such as smartwatches, jewelry, and fitness bands. Therefore, the demand for applications is increasing along with technology as we become more technologically adept.
Rising Wearable Industries
Health and Fitness Wearables
The health, fitness, and fashion industries are closely related to any wearable technology or device. People are now frequently using smartwatches to monitor their heart rate and the number of steps they take when walking or running, which has boosted the industries with this technology. IoT devices include medical sensors to track progress in terms of health. It is possible to determine how healthy a person's lifestyle is by gathering accurate health statistics from these devices. Additionally, it monitors sleeping patterns, enhancing your overall quest for wellness.
Gaming Wearables
Gaming is a significant new market for wearable technology and one which is booming. The most prevalent category of wearables in the market is virtual reality (VR) headsets. With VR devices like the Oculus Rift or Playstation VR, players are immediately immersed in otherworldly experiences. Several kinds of breathtaking experiences are now accessible to players everywhere, thanks to VR wearables.
Connected Cars
Automobiles are steadily gaining traction among IoT devices, but they are still a small market (just 0.05 percent of all connected devices are cars), and Ford and Tesla are vying for the top spot. Ford has dominated the connected car market, with Subaru being the only other manufacturer to see any appreciable growth in new connections since July 2020. In contrast, other producers are fighting for a sizable market share as the potential to grow this segment is highly exponential.
Conclusion
Today, wearable technology is planned, developed, distributed, and used in a variety of consumer and corporate markets. The ways in which these markets overlap and influence one another are constantly changing. IoT will significantly change how businesses engage with customers, streamline their operations, and contribute to the creation of a system that relies on such data.
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