Top 9 IoT Vulnerabilities to Enhance IoT Security in 2023

Have you ever left your home keys under a potted plant, thinking it would be safe there? But then you realize the pot is in plain sight and is the first place a thief would check if they were trying to rob you. Finding a more secure spot for your spare key and taking other precautions helps safeguard your home and all its valuable possessions.

Like our physical homes, our Internet of Things (IoT) security  devices have critical information and data. IoT security provides solutions to protect smart devices from unauthorized access or manipulation. IoT security software offers users a secure data pipeline to connect, manage, and store data with minimal risk.

Since most IoT devices have minimal memory, storage, and computing abilities, it’s difficult to set up security measures. Additionally, there is a growing number of IoT devices and applications, thus increasing IoT security issues significantly. In 2016, a Mirai botnet attack affected thousands of compromised household IoT devices by taking down high-profile sites and services.

Why are IoT devices vulnerable? 

IoT devices lack essential built-in security to prevent attackers due to their limited hardware. In addition to technological factors, users also influence how vulnerable the devices are and why

• Limited computational power and hardware limitations. IoT devices are created with functionality for computation in mind, leaving little room for a robust data security or protection mechanism process. 
• Weak device components. Basic features potentially vulnerable to cyber attacks affect millions of smart devices.  
• Heterogeneous transmission technology. When a variety of transmission technologies are used, establishing a standard protection protocol is a challenge. 
• Lack of security awareness. Users may open themselves up to security breaches because they don’t have the understanding required to ensure that devices are safe from attacks. 
  

Top 9 IoT vulnerabilities 

IoT powers edge computing networks provides real-time resource visibility, offers data-driven insights, and improves operational efficiency. However, over the years, we’ve also seen devastating botnets such as Mirai and Meris affecting security and causing the loss of sensitive data. Let's take a look at a list of common IoT vulnerabilities to be aware of. 

1. Hardcoded passwords

We've all wracked our brains thinking of a unique password that meets system requirements and includes capital letters, symbols, numbers, and all that good stuff. Following these best practices is essential because they help us avoid being vulnerable to malware and attackers. Password manager software is one the best ways to create a strong password and prevent one of the most frequent forms of attack for compromised IoT devices. Passwords that are easy to guess or short in length can compromise security and launch large-scale attacks. 

2. Insecure networks

Password-protected and secure networks: yay! Insecure networks:nay! Attackers are ready to use an insecure network to exploit weaknesses in IoT devices. It becomes easy for them to breach confidential, sensitive data that travels between the server and the user devices due to poorly-defended setups. Also, a weak network is susceptible to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks that aim to authenticate a device or steal credentials as part of a bigger cyber attack.

3. Insecure ecosystem interface

Application programming interfaces (APIs), mobile applications, and web applications can all be considered insecure ecosystem interfaces. An organization must implement an authorization or authentication process that validates users and protects against attacks.  

4. Insecure update mechanisms 

You’ve likely received hundreds of notifications asking you to update an app on your devices. These regular updates take care of application security, but a device with faulty update processes risks installing malicious code, software, and firmware. Corrupt software may compromise the IoT device security so validation is key before rollout. 

5. Outdated components 

Regular software updates remove outdated components. The entire internet of things ecosystem can be compromised when vulnerabilities such as open-source code or third-party software appear. To avoid this, patch management tools should be used to keep the IT infrastructure up to date by tracking middleware solutions and software updates. Patch management software can take over employee responsibility and automatically eliminate outdated components.

6. Lack of privacy protection

Companies securely collect and store their users’ personal data, such as passwords, names, or date of birth. Failing to protect consumer information leads to a terrible reputation for businesses. Data breaches jeopardize user privacy and can seriously harm any organization. Data privacy management software help leadership understand their privacy program, assists in classifying and mapping sensitive data, and integrates tools for consent management. 

7. Insecure data transfer and storage 

A significant data loss takes place in case of insecure data transfer and storage. Whether data is received or transmitted across networks, ensuring security from unauthorized users is critical to maintaining the integrity of IoT applications. 

8. Improper device management 

Improper device management leads to an additional risk in theft of sensitive data. Understanding which assets are connected to the network and handling them properly ensures restricted access to cyber attackers. 

9. Poor default settings 

The hardcoded default settings that IoT devices come with are often insecure and easy to breach, leaving attackers with a hall pass to IoT vulnerabilities.

How do IoT device vulnerabilities affect users? 

The 2016 IoT botnet Mirai took down prominent websites in a distributed denial of service (DDoS) campaign. It compromised thousands of devices, but attacks don’t have to be dramatic to cause damage. Let’s look at how IoT vulnerabilities affect users and go over the importance of IoT security. 

• Lateral network movement means cybercriminals can explore an infected network to escalate access privilege and find weak spots. The intention is to move sideways from a device to an application. The attackers access critical data and spread malware through the network.
• IoT botnets are large systems of devices, like routers, used to launch attacks. A botnet pools multiple devices managed from a command-and-control (C&C) server. 
• Household devices are an easy target for attackers to hit. With remote work becoming increasingly popular, household devices have turned into an entryway for attackers to access corporate networks and critical data.  
• Evolving botnets are threatening users. Peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing technologies give attackers an opening to devices without using a central server, making prevention nearly impossible.
• Existing device issues, such as weak security, might unintentionally permit access to the internal network and make it easy for hackers to infiltrate personal, sensitive information.

How to secure IoT devices 

Leaving your devices without the required software updates or regular monitoring is like keeping the porch light on for hackers. Data privacy management and protecting your IoT devices require regular action and monitoring.

Manufacturers must regularly address known security issues and conduct product and software testing. Users should understand the risks involved and ensure device security, change default passwords often, and turn on automatic updates. Encryption or public key infrastructure methods, along with the help of an IoT vulnerability scanner, work well for organizations that need to monitor their systems for malicious activity. With everyone playing their part, protecting IoT devices from damage becomes easier. What else can organizations, users, and manufacturers do to ensure security? 

• Gain knowledge about the threats. Learning about vulnerabilities, such as ransomware and other cybersecurity threats, prioritizes security and keeps confidential data safe. Security services providers software can manage entire IoT ecosystems. 
• Understand the risks involved. Prioritizing security threats and implementing early mitigation of attacks help safeguard companies from serious operational and financial implications. 
• Update the applications and software regularly. Follow software and application protocol. The timing of updates is important when protecting your IoT ecosystem. 
• Increase network security. Avoid insecure network services to protect your data from being compromised. Fortify your IoT network security by locking down communication protocols, putting up firewalls, performing regular reviews of the standards, and encrypting data. 
• Enable strong authorization. Changing the default password to a stronger one and updating it regularly maintains security. Developing the practice of a two- or three-way authentication process also reduces the chances of being affected by IoT vulnerabilities. 
• Secure communications: Encrypting data between various communication channels is a great method of protecting Internet of Things devices from vulnerabilities.
• Secure API integration. APIs push and pull data between programs, making them an easy target for attackers. To stop a hit, authorized devices are the only ones that should be allowed to communicate with APIs.
• Monitor IoT applications. Prevention is almost always better than repair. Keeping tabs on IoT devices for regular scanning and testing helps ensure alerts go out in an emergency.

5 best IoT security software 

Protection against IoT vulnerabilities is important for security teams, IT professionals, and vertical industry professionals. IoT security software prevents cyber attacks by minimizing the risks and creating a secure environment.

To qualify for inclusion in the IoT security software list, a product must: 

• Alert device owners if communication is interrupted. 
• Assist with software updates as they are released. 
• Guarantee extensive authentication, ensuring verification of device ownership and administrative license.
• Support the safety of inter-device communication. 
• Comply with the latest internet of things technology.

*Below are the top 5 leading IoT security software solutions from G2's 2023 Grid® Report. Some reviews may be edited for clarity.

1. AWS IoT Device Defender 

AWS IoT Device Defender safeguards IoT devices by continuously monitoring and auditing security policies associated with your gadgets. This ensures that they never stray from the best security practices.

What users like best: 

“Real-time threat alert or behavior-shift alert is something that I admire the most about the software. Being part of an educational institution, I had to take responsibility to make the place IoT-friendly because of data leaks, security compromises, and other concerns. With this X509-certified software, it makes sure that the devices do not deviate from their intended purpose and permissions.”

- AWS IoT Device Defender review, Yash K. 

What users dislike: 

“AWS IOT needs to improve its speed so we can use it efficiently. It is poor regarding device management. Sometimes it takes more time to understand.”

- AWS IoT device defender review, Jevik L.

2. Microsoft Defender for IoT

Microsoft Defender for IoT accelerates digital transformation by offering agentless network detection and response (NDR) that works with diverse industrial control system (ICS) devices and is rapidly deployed. It offers lightweight agents a strong device-layer security. 

What users like best: 

"With the help of Microsoft defender for IOT we could protect and monitor for vulnerability for all the devices in a single place. It's easy to use and configure setup.”

- Microsoft Defender for IoT Review, Samuel S.

What users dislike: 

“As with multiple products from Azure, most of them have a strong focus on user friendliness and UI-based rather than code based. While this is appreciated, it sometimes limits itself in terms of features and adds additional complexity when looking for niche specific network security features.”

- Microsoft Defender for IoT Review, Paras J.

3. McAfee Embedded Control

McAfee Embedded Control is an IoT security software that provides file integrity technology and whitelisting to combat unauthorized software changes, targeted malware, and configuration alterations across industrial and commercial IoT devices. 

What users like best: 

“I like that McAfee embedded control detects all the changes in the sources of the developed code by using an authorization certification system to support the target system. McAfee embedded control provides the control layer to prevent the access of certain files and directories from the changes from the agents. It prevents spyware and malware. I also like its dashboard and reports which help users to handle the compliance.””

- McAfee Embedded Control, Mahesh S.

What users dislike: 

“McAfee Embedded Control offers no free trial; thus, it is challenging to gauge its effectiveness and purposefulness without spending money. There is no freemium version, either.”

- McAfee Embedded Control, Mubeen A.

4. Mbed OS

An easy-to-use, open-source operating system for the internet of things, Mbed OS includes all the features required to develop a product based on an Arm Cortex-M microcontroller. It provides security, connectivity, storage, device management and drivers for IoT devices. 

What users like best: 

“I have been using the Mbed OS compiler throughout my degree. It is very easy to use and professional at the same time. This is the best software for beginners. I also had the privilege to work with Mbed studio, a new up-and-coming coding platform used for advanced programming.”

- Mbed Review, Shantanu W.

What users dislike: 

“Runtime debugging should be improved to handle issues quickly.”

- Mbed Review, Sampath K.

5. Entrust IoT Security 

Entrust IoT Security is designed to seamlessly secure user devices through user identity management. You can leverage high-assurance IoT security and drive innovation with Entrust.  

What users like best: 

“I love the end-to-end encryption between the Internet of things and the cloud, the ability to scale to greater heights, the high performance, ability to configure custom compliance standards, device identity management, and data and software integrity assurance"

- Entrust IoT Security Review, Bhargav N.

What users dislike: 

“The design could be improved and be made more graphically pleasing.”

- Entrust IoT Security Review, Jeankarl L.

Keep your devices as protected as your homes

With an increase in the number of IoT connected devices, the need to enforce security measures and safeguard them against cyber attacks also goes up. Adopt security measures, incorporate software solutions, and keep your devices safer than ever before. 

Learn more about IoT device management platforms software and track, manage, and monitor your devices remotely.