Managing Future Risk With a Secure IoT Ecosystem

In an era dominated by technologies like artificial intelligence and Crispr, the Internet of Things (IoT) operates quietly but significantly, generating real-time insights that bridge the physical and cyber realms. Although IoT has greatly improved our lives, enhanced public safety, and contributed to logistics and environmental sustainability, it has also become a prime target for cyberattacks. In the first half of 2021 alone, there were over 1.5 billion attacks on IoT devices, twice the previous year's count. This paradoxical situation underscores the need for robust security strategies for IoT.

To secure their organizations' IoT future, security leaders should adopt several approaches:

1. Building Resiliency: Resilience, the ability to respond to and recover from cyberattacks, is crucial. While many companies have improved their cyber resiliency, there's still room for enhancement, especially in addressing IoT-specific attacks. This includes incident response plans tailored to IoT threats.
2. Zero Trust: The Zero Trust approach, which now encompasses IoT device management, is evolving to Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), or Zero Trust Edge. SASE is a global, cloud-based service that ensures secure access to systems, including IoT devices, from anywhere. This is particularly important in industrial edge environments where IoT sensors play a pivotal role.
3. Secure Networks: Even encrypted IoT traffic needs careful management to maintain a secure IoT ecosystem. Software-defined wide-area network services (SD-WAN) enable precise control over network traffic, ensuring IoT data remains separate from public internet traffic.
4. End-to-End Protection: Unsecured IoT can expose enterprises to customer experience issues, network and data breaches, and financial losses. Organizations need to adopt a comprehensive approach, including SD-WAN and updated IoT incident response plans, to ensure end-to-end protection and future-proof their IoT deployments.

In conclusion, the Internet of Things (IoT) presents a remarkable opportunity to improve our lives, enhance safety, and drive economic value. However, its rapid growth has made it a tempting target for cyberattacks, necessitating proactive security measures. Security leaders must prioritize building resiliency, embracing the Zero Trust approach through Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), ensuring secure networks, and implementing end-to-end protection. By adopting these strategies, organizations can not only safeguard their IoT deployments but also unlock the full potential of this transformative technology while mitigating the risks it brings. In this age of constant innovation, securing our interconnected future is paramount, and it begins with securing the Internet of Things.

Source: https://www.iotworldtoday.com/security/managing-future-risk-with-a-secure-iot-ecosystem