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Top Security Concerns Related to Industrial IoT
The Cyber Security Review | Tuesday, November 29, 2022
Industrial IoT is gaining adoption but comes with some security risks.
FREMONT, CA: The Internet of Things has rapidly developed over the past ten years, as seen by the entire world. Although this technology is already prominently used to power smart homes, outside surveillance, and smart lighting, it is also becoming more common in industrial settings.
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Industrial IoT solutions have many applications; however, there are security dangers involved with the technology.
Every firm is better off taking some countermeasures if they are aware of the implications of the security flaws included in IIoT solutions. A security lapse in an IIoT environment could result in the loss of sensitive or confidential information about the company, such as product manufacturing blueprints or mission-critical machinery, depending on the scope of the application inside the organisation.
As an illustration, a security breach can cause the loss of shipment tracking signals, which would hamper logistics operations. Similarly, if a hacker gains access to a company's manufacturing network, it's simple for them to tamper with the manufacturing equipment's settings, which could lower the quality of products.
Top 6 industrial IoT security risks
Data Siphoning
An eavesdropping attack can be used to intercept data being transmitted by endpoint devices. To access protected information, the hacker, in this case, eavesdrops on network traffic from the endpoint device.
When endpoint devices transmit sensitive data, this vulnerability might have disastrous repercussions. This kind of IoT attack most frequently attacks the aerospace, security, and health sectors. The company needs to have a security policy that ensures all transferred data is adequately encrypted using the best encryption software to avoid this security risk.
Device Hijacking
One of the prevalent IIoT security challenges is device hijacking. It might happen if an IoT sensor or endpoint is taken over. Depending on the sophistication of the sensors and how many devices they are connected to, this could result in significant data breaches.
Sensors can easily be compromised or hijacked, exposing them to malware and giving the hacker access to the endpoint device. Hackers can manage the production processes in any way they choose with this level of control.
Frequently updating your hardware and software may prevent this IIoT security risk. Deploying a hardware-based VPN solution, which is more compatible with outdated systems and helps safeguard data and IoT devices, is another way to reduce this risk.
Distributed Denial-of-service
Endpoint devices within an organisation may experience such a deluge of traffic over its networks that they cannot handle the strain. A distributed denial-of-service attack is one name for this category of security concern.
For instance, a concerted DDoS attack on the entire system could cause system downtime if an industrial thermostat is connected to unprotected internet. Installing a firewall on an internet connection is one of the greatest ways to protect yourself from this type of IIoT risk.
Device Spoofing Attack
In the IIoT, a device spoofing attack occurs when the attackers pose as a trusted device to transport data between the centralised network of an organisation and the IIoT endpoint device.
For instance, a hacker could pose as a reliable IoT sensor to provide feedback on bogus data that might change a company's production process. However, a hardware-based security solution can be used to manage this issue.
Physical Device Theft
Many physical endpoint devices used in IIoT can be stolen if not protected from prying eyes. If these devices are utilised to hold sensitive information, this circumstance may present a security concern to any firm.
Organisations that often utilise endpoint devices should take steps to protect them, but putting sensitive data on them might still raise security issues due to the rise in endpoint assaults.
It is practical for enterprises to avoid storing sensitive data on endpoint devices to reduce the risk of device theft. Instead, they ought to store essential data on cloud-based infrastructure.
Data Breaches Through Legacy Systems
The increasing use of IoT in various industries has made it simpler for hackers to identify security gaps and access organisational data. It is simple for attackers to utilise IoT devices as a point of unauthorised access to other resources since they frequently share the same internet connection as other systems in an enterprise. One triumphant attack on an IoT device can allow attackers to access vital information or data, making this absence of network segmentation potentially fatal.
This danger involves attackers accessing the core network where sensitive and significant data is stored via an IIoT device. Additionally, hackers can target bigger corporate networks for data breach operations utilising these outdated systems because many businesses still use insecure legacy technologies.
It's critical to secure the devices with hardware-based VPN technology and adopt a real-time monitoring solution that will continuously evaluate and report the activity of connected devices to safeguard IoT-powered organisations against data breaches.
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Why Wireless Access Testing Is Important?
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Keeper Security delivers encryption and penetration testing-aligned cybersecurity solutions focused on safeguarding sensitive communications and preventing unauthorized data interception.
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