IoT Security Solutions: Protecting Devices in a Connected World

The future is connected. Modern organizations are online, and many are extending that connectivity to physical objects—the Internet of Things (IoT). Billions of devices are now online, spanning industries from healthcare to manufacturing. These devices vary widely in processing power, update mechanisms, and built-in security protocols.

But device security hasn’t kept pace with adoption. Insecure devices jeopardize uptime and user trust. Under zero trust principles, every device should be monitored, updated, and authenticated to ensure compliance. Otherwise, vulnerabilities can lead to breaches, downtime, or compromised identities.

Unsecured IoT devices provide attackers an easy way to perform attacks like session hijacking. By taking over a legitimate user’s internet-enabled device, attackers can obtain the validated session ID and use it on other network services. Essentially, the user authenticates properly, and then the attacker pretends to be that legitimate user.

The IoT threat landscape: major threats to data and devices

The rise of devices with weak protections and poor update methods creates fertile ground for attacks. Some of the most persistent threats include:

Device impersonation and counterfeit hardware

Attackers can impersonate IoT devices by forging digital identities, spoofing MAC addresses, or injecting rogue devices into networks. Weak or unencrypted authentication protocols make this easy.

Counterfeit devices add another layer of risk. Cheap, maliciously altered hardware—like a USB cable with a hidden data-capturing chip—can look legitimate but silently exfiltrate sensitive information once connected.

Session hijacking and insecure transport

Session hijacking follows a familiar pattern: steal a user’s session token, use it to impersonate them, then perform unauthorized actions. Attackers often rely on simple malware, MitM attacks, or malicious code injection to capture valid IDs.

Insecure transport is equally dangerous. IoT devices often transmit data over poorly secured connections, leaving sensitive information exposed. Without strong encryption and authentication, attackers can steal data, manipulate devices, or launch DDoS attacks.

Weak boot chain and firmware tampering

Weak boot chains can poke holes into even the most well-secured IoT devices. The boot is the foundation for a device. Malicious code could be injected into a device to execute upon reboot—and with a weak boot chain, the system won’t check for modified files before running them.

Firmware tampering is similar, where an attacker injects malicious code into a device’s firmware that can compromise its functionality or establish persistent security threats. While these attacks can occur within the supply chain, one of the more common methods is exploiting insecure update processes.

Why traditional security falls short

Conventional security measures, designed for uniform IT systems, don’t translate well to IoT. Key challenges include:

Fragmented vendors and protocols

The Internet of Things is expansive, covering a huge variety of device types from cameras to thermostats to wearable devices like watches. There are almost as many different vendors, all using different protocols from start to finish. No single unifying protocols make it easy to keep every IoT device on the same page when it comes to security. You could have several well-protected devices on your network, but a single insecure device will give an attacker an entry point anyways.

And no security vendor could possibly account for all of the variations of IoT devices and their vulnerabilities. One similar example is ad-blocking on your phone versus a laptop or desktop. On a non-phone device, ad blocking applications often have access to every resource they need from the browser. Phones are more compartmentalized and fragmented, offering higher security overall, but ad blocking cannot be integrated at the level it needs to be. Add to that the various versions of apps and phone OSes, and any ad blocker would be unlikely to work on all of the devices.

Manual provisioning that doesn’t scale

Many IoT devices come with built-in identities and credentials to connect to a specific cloud service, meaning they come equipped with their keys and certificates. During development, someone has to manually enter in this information. This process is both prone to human error and impossible to scale. And considering certificates need to be replaced and updated regularly for security purposes, hard-coding them only creates a security loophole down the line.

Inconsistent update and revocation processes

The IoT is fragmented and dispersed all over the world. IoT devices are often limited in terms of computing power and are meant by design to have long lifecycles so people can continue to use them for years. Some devices simply don’t have the storage or resources to implement complex security mechanisms. Others only connect to the internet rarely, so security patches aren’t able to be delivered. Regardless of the reason, standard update processes used in traditional security are not nearly as effective in the IoT landscape.

IoT devices also don’t have the resources to use on-device verification or download certificate revocation lists to invalidate compromised credentials. Many IoT devices need to be manually decommissioned by the user, but if they don’t tell the service they did so, the certificate that was provisioned for the device may remain active.

PKI-based IoT security

PKI-based IoT security processes help ensure only authorized users can access devices and the network, making breaches far less likely. You can tailor your PKI strategy to the constraints of your IoT devices and longer-term lifecycle management needs. We recommend implementing the following IoT security solutions:

• Provision unique device identities with certificates. Certificates help centralize security and keep your keys refreshed, meaning fewer loose ends and rogue certificates. Avoid reusing device identities—a single compromised identity could then impact any other user with the same one on their device.
• Automate enrollment, renewal, and revocation. When it’s been implemented properly to secure devices, PKI often involves renewing and revoking certificates and other credentials very regularly, and manual processes simply won’t scale with the breadth of IoT devices today. Use automated tools to manage your PKI and keep your keys fresh and secure.
• Embed trust at manufacturing and secure OTA updates. Vet your manufacturing processes for every component of the IoT device to catch potential risks and vulnerabilities before the devices reach the consumer. We also recommend secure over-the-air (OTA) updates to help provide regular patches and also check for unauthorized firmware modifications.

Operational Best Practices

PKI-based IoT security helps keep your devices secure during manufacture and use, rotating certificates and credentials when needed to keep attackers at bay. We also recommend the following operational best practices to keep devices safe long-term:

• Design for crypto agility to support PQC. Quantum computing will completely overwrite existing cryptographic protocols. Every business should be aware of this fact and begin designing with crypto agility in mind, with the ultimate goal of supporting post-quantum cryptography (PQC).
• Integrate with CI/CD and device management systems. Device management systems and CI/CD processes can both be used to verify the device is performing as expected and provide security updates. Make sure any cloud integrations use secure, encrypted communication.
• Continuously monitor certificate health to prevent outages. Replace certificates and keys before they expire, and ensure the old ones are properly decommissioned. Monitor lists of compromised certificates to act when needed. 

Conclusion

PKI—specifically automated PKI—helps reduce risk across your business by securing credentials, regularly rotating certificates, and keeping your practices aligned with regulations and industry standards. By keeping your credentials fresh and replacing compromised certificates, you can keep your devices and users safe from unauthorized access.

The IoT is growing and scaling at an unprecedented rate, and will continue to do so. Ensure your business has an action plan for a scalable IoT security program. Never leave your organization’s security up to chance—make a plan, stick with it, and update it along with new protocols and threats.

Similar Stories