Network Security for IoT Devices
Network Security for IoT Devices is a major concern in today’s world. Internet of Things is definitely one of the most interesting domains that got enthusiasts and businesses excited in the last decade. Although improved, much of the emphasis is still only given to the ‘things’ in IoT.
Movies and games now feature hacking these devices remotely, but there is another area that needs major securing in addition to the devices that are connected through a network – the network itself.
The pandemic has shown the importance of ensuring Network Security for IoT Devices as work from home now comes with a high demand for remote operations. This is where IoT gains its relevance. More than just securing individual devices, users now see the importance of securing the network to minimize threats that could span across several devices at once.
What is IoT Network Security?
As the number of devices connected to a network increases, there is a proportional amount of risk that could potentially compromise your device environment. Tracking each device in the expanding network will also become a hassle to deal with (distributed denial of service or DDoS for example), so users must always follow the best practices while using such devices.
Another factor to consider while buying the devices for your IoT network is that different manufacturers offer highly differentiated products that are suited for varying purposes. So buying an industrial-grade product might not necessarily mean better security for home IoT networks. So understanding their features and specifications is also quite important.
Giving importance to Network Security for IoT Devices adds a cover of security around your devices. It also helps in creating a better security standard on which devices with varying security capacity could be added and handled together.
Tips for Securing IoT Devices
In the majority of setups, the network already existed when the IoT was introduced into them. Hence it is a great idea to review your network and understand what could make networks better equipped for handling IoT devices as well as existing vulnerabilities that could compromise the devices as a whole.
Following are just some of the basic checks you could employ to setup Network Security for IoT Devices:
1. Upgrade networks to take on a higher bandwidth
Adding more IoT devices to a network implies a higher rate of data transfer than the current capacity. Such an influx of endpoints will cause connection problems in the future as there will be poor resource allocation within your network.
Always plan for future dependencies when you decide on your bandwidth allocation, deciding which divisions would require more bandwidth and when. This applies heavily for businesses with a large number of IoT devices, but an average user could also save a lot in terms of upgrades if they are cautious about future additions.
2. Check all pre-existing endpoints on your network
It’s crucial to know where your network stands before adding new IoT devices to it. For this, make it a practice to do a timely check on the security of your existing devices within your IoT environment.
Devices like computers or mobile phones that haven’t been updated in a while could also become weak links in your network. This makes it important to ensure that all the devices added to your network are compatible with new devices that may get added to your network in the future.
3. Create strong and updated network policies
Network policies are a very crucial document that every enterprise must strictly adhere to. As more and more companies are adopting a work from home lifestyle, the number of endpoints to the network has naturally increased over time.
Thus, the knowledge of who gets to access what and to what extend is of greater importance to employees on the network who lookout for new endpoints added to it. Updated network policies must include requirements such as management of user authorization, rules for bringing your own devices, and other work from home arrangements.
Securing Network for IoT-related risks
The next phase in building proper network security is by finding ways to protect networks from risks related to IoT devices. Moreover, this level of security should include network-level security as a proper measure to minimize such threats in the first place. With a well-thought network, much of the threats from IoT devices can be nipped at its outset.
Here are some of the steps in curbing threats from IoT devices:
1. Use network-level security
IoT devices operate within your network. Some of these devices communicate to external systems or a public cloud, but most of the time the data transfer is between devices in the same network.
Without monitoring these data transfer of devices within their networks, enterprises or network builders will not be able to detect devices that communicate corrupt signals to other devices. This is why you primarily need network-level security.
2. Create individual networks
Make it a common practice to create separate independent networks for guest connections and IoT devices to minimize their risk altogether. You can then assign authorized devices such as laptops or mobile phones on these networks or make them undiscoverable to other devices in the user’s vicinity.
Whether for home or for business purposes, having a guest network is always better to avoid unauthorized usage of data and to stave off cyberattacks and malware.
3. Your routers could secure too
As mentioned earlier, creating guest networks is a great way to curb threats to a great extent. Routers usually come equipped with a feature to create guest networks that require new credentials and totally unrelated to the main network.
4. Visibility is key for your network
We see jumps in technology every passing week. This implies that there will always be new smart devices that could access your network before your security officers even get to know about them.
Visibility in this case is crucial to know how well the network is faring in terms of its overall safety. Businesses should invest in better tools to understand the necessary and unnecessary connections to the network and take proactive measures before any threats materialize.
5. Check for abnormal activities from your devices
You know your devices well if you can spot all their individual oddities and abnormal activities. Knowledge of how things ought to work gives users a tremendous advantage in intercepting and anticipating suspicious activity within their networks.
6. Delete anonymous connections
Name each connection to remove ambiguity altogether. Each labeled device brings in an added layer of understanding of the network and helps users and integrators in monitoring as well as spotting unwanted connections.
Properly labeled networks also make it easier to identify and correct individual devices on the network.
7. Enforce policies using your network
Users could opt for security solutions that provide visibility and control over the network. This could then help them easily enforce their pre-defined policies to any new device that is added to the network. Through this, users can use the network to spot and remove anonymous or unwanted connections.
8. Become your own administrator of things
While considering work from home setups, network officers have limited control over these devices in general. So it becomes the responsibility of the device owner to take a proactive approach in learning the basic steps in securing their devices from data or security breaches. Individual users thus become the administrator of the things they use to interact with the network.
