How Secure Modules Prevent IoT Device Security Breaches

It Starts with the Module: Picking the Right Hardware Can Save you the Pain of an IoT Device Security Breach

In 2022, more than 40 billion devices are expected to be connected through the Internet of Things (IoT), the wireless device platform that enables everything from smart fitness wearables to smart city lighting to shipping.

With all of the benefits of a connected world improving industries such as healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing, connecting devices to the internet still poses significant security risks.

From an IoT standpoint, the idea of hackers unlocking store front doors from a cell phone, ruining foodstuffs by controlling the thermostat, or crippling a university’s internet with its own IoT-enabled vending machines are challenges that are rapidly becoming a reality when faced with a fully connected landscape.

Telit produces the right IoT module for futureproofing devices against risks including spyware, ransomware, botnets, DDoS attacks, and more. Find out how security threats can be avoided in your IoT network’s deployment strategy. Yet, that’s not all.

3 Biggest Potential Threats to Any IoT Framework

Any device that is connected to the internet is at risk of becoming a back door for attackers and hacktivists (this is a more current term) to enter your enterprise network.

This is the risk for the future and Telit can secure that future today.

Cellular modules, sensors and RFID chips all make the world a more connected place, but as life-changing and beneficial as they are, IoT technologies come with a unique set of key vulnerabilities, according to Nicole Lewis of TechTarget:

1. More endpoints mean more back doors. Networking buildings, vehicles, appliances, and other end-point devices, as well as the communication channels they broadcast across, make them susceptible to attacks, such as distributed denial-of-service attacks. Furthermore, mobile device connections are another touchpoint for security breaches. Upgrading gateways and IoT devices with secure Telit IoT chipsets can quash attacks before they begin.

2. A lack of standards puts your business at risk. These attacks are common because IoT technology is still growing to meet the needs of identity and access management (IAM) systems as they integrate people, devices, apps and services into their ecosystems. The Identity of Things (IDoT) works to assign credentials and identifiers to IoT users, such as warehouse managers, first responders, doctors, home users, and city maintenance crew members. Our modules adapt to IoT regulations set forth by the FCC, HIPAA and other regulatory bodies. Connecting an IoT architecture with IAM and IDoT codifications will normalize security control. Fortunately, a growing number of Telit modules are designed with these safeguards in mind and will easily integrate security into connected IoT devices.

3. Antiquated object and system designs leave devices open to cyberattacks. With new network capabilities moving beyond 3G into 4G LTE and 5G capabilities, it is important to either update the existing framework or deploy updated devices and connect using backward compatible modules. Networks that don’t upgrade their hardware and connectivity capabilities in the next five or so years are at greater risk for continued harassment. Telit modules address your current needs while positioning your business for a secure future.

Choosing a Secure Module for your IoT Device

Telit modules are being designed to simplify deployment strategies and avoid many of the pitfalls associated with cyberattacks. According to Ken Bednasz, when choosing the right module, the most integral focus of your search should be “centered around risks associated with module and provider reliability, reach and scalability, and sustainability for larger projects that might require futureproofing and upgrades.”

Many overseas products contain known security and spyware risks, as well as poor satellite linkage capabilities. Your module provider should have an established reputation for designing new products across multiple markets, offer modules that are compatible across multiple industries and legacy networks, sustain a track record for global integration, and offer IoT service and support as part of their platform.

A good IoT platform features:

• Encryption
• Secure networking
• Session management
• Permissions
• Authentication
• Auditing
• Validation

Another potential boon for module security is module-embedded software, such as Telit’s simWISE, which “employs integrated cryptographic capabilities covering the entire lifecycle chain from MNO provisioning to manufacturing and endpoint provisioning.”

Steps to Secure and Harden Systems Against Attackers

Along with secure modules that are industry reliant, every IoT deployment needs a well-designed security team in place to oversee the entire operation. A framework of authorizations, encryption experts, device management policies, and layered security controls will considerably reduce enterprise risks.

Patrick Gray with ZDNet outlines secure measures to IoT deployment, including:

• Make security a design feature
• Role-play as a hacker
• Don’t overexert your IoT sensors
• Check all the components
• Always update
• Use the right hardware
• Perform IoT lifecycle protocols

The right module and IoT team can help safeguard investments as more businesses connect to money-saving IoT solutions.

Telit: An Industry Leader in Secure IoT Solutions

Let Telit, an industry leader in IoT solutions for over 15 years, help you manage your entire IoT deployment from start to finish. Our best-in-class IoT modules and partner chipsets are changing the world one sensor at a time with safeguards around system administration and compatibility with legacy systems.