INGENIEUR
Third, platforms where the data winds up –
whether corporate data centers or cloud-based
repositories – should include security protection
based on cloud computing and big data analysis
systems. This layer of protection ensures that data
stored on the IoT platform and the cloud is secure,
while preventing malicious breaches or data leaks.
The final ingredient is a management
framework that provides best practices for
secure end-to-end governance and O&M of
the IoT’s many devices. Handling such a large
number of devices poses challenges related to
network registration, authentication, and O&M
automation; but these challenges can and must
be met. While one small device may seem unlikely
to harm the entire network, last year’s attacks on
Internet infrastructure by the Mirai botnet show
that hundreds of thousands – or, in the future,
hundreds of millions – of devices can do real
damage to Internet services.
To help these defensive elements work
in concert, leading ICT companies should
concentrate their R&D in three main areas.
The first is detection and isolation of malicious
devices based on behavioural analysis. Investing
in this area strengthens our ability to detect
device abnormalities, including non-standard
communications behaviour and models. Our
research enables us to analyze the behaviour
of devices, endpoints, and data flows; to isolate
any suspicious devices that are detected; and
to automatically adjust policies and notify
management so that action can be taken
immediately to protect the integrity of the IoT.
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JUNE 2013 2018
A second area of research is distributed
authentication technology based on digital
signatures – unique identifiers that validate
the authenticity and security of a message or
document.
Identity authentication and confidentiality
are always needed for cyber security, and this
is especially true of communications on the IoT.
Distributed authentication technology built on
digital signatures employs user IDs in a system
of public key encryption, where a trusted source
generates a private/public key pair for a user that
is mapped to his or her identity. The private key
is used to encrypt and sign data exchanged with
others, who, in turn, can use the public key to verify
the sender’s identity and to decrypt the data.
The third area of R&D centers on devices that
have greater computing capacity than most IoT
devices but also require a higher level of security,
such as those inside connected cars. Here, chip-
level security technology is crucial. Chip providers
must enable strong hardware-level encryption and
isolation, while providing a trusted environment
and secure storage. They should store important
keys in trusted chips to prevent data leaks and
support secure booting of devices. To ensure
data integrity, they should also verify signatures
each time software and firmware are booted and
upgraded.
By working together and making strategic
investments in defensive technology, we can
safeguard the IoT, ensuring that its considerable
economic and social benefits reach the maximum
number of people around the world.