Cybersecurity in IoT Systems

There is widespread adoption of IoT systems and services in various industries, such as health care, agriculture, smart manufacturing, smart energy systems, intelligent transport systems, logistics (supply chain management), smart homes, smart cities, and security and safety. The primary goal of incorporating IoT into existing systems in various industries is to improve productivity and efficiency. Despite the enormous advantages of integrating IoT into existing systems in various industries, including critical infrastructure, there are concerns about the security vulnerabilities of IoT systems. Businesses are increasingly anxious about the possible risks introduced by IoT systems into their existing infrastructures and how to mitigate them.

One of the weaknesses of IoT devices is that they can easily be compromised. This is because some IoT manufacturers of IoT devices fail to incorporate security mechanisms into the devices, resulting in security vulnerabilities that can easily be exploited. Some manufacturers and developers often focus on device usability and adding features that satisfy the needs of the users while paying little or no attention to security measures. Another reason that IoT device manufacturers and developers pay little or no attention to security is that they are often focused on getting the device to the market as soon as possible. Also, some IoT users focus mainly on the price of the devices and ignore security requirements, incentivising the manufacturers to focus on minimising the cost of the devices while trading off the security of the devices.

A successful malicious attack on an IoT system could result in data deft, loss of data privacy, and further comprise other critical systems that are connected to the IoT systems. IoT systems are increasingly being targeted due to the relative ease with which they can be compromised. Also, they are increasingly being incorporated into critical infrastructure such as energy, water, transportation, health care, education, communication, security, and military infrastructures, making them attractive targets, especially during conventional, hybrid, and cyber warfare. In this case, the goal of the attackers is not only to compromise IoT systems but to exploit the vulnerabilities of the IoT device with the aim of compromising or damaging critical infrastructures. Some examples of large-scale attacks that have been orchestrated by exploiting vulnerabilities of IoT devices include:

• The Mirai Botnet attack: An IoT botnet (a network of computers, each of which runs bots) was used to execute the worst DDoS attack against Internet performance management services provider Dyn back in October 2016. As a result, several websites went offline, including majors like CNN, Netflix, and Twitter.

After becoming infected with Mirai malware, computers continuously search the web for susceptible IoT devices before infecting them with malware by logging in using well-known default usernames and passwords. These gadgets included digital cameras and DVR players, for example.