Did you know? By 2030, the number of IoT devices worldwide is expected to swell from 7.6 billion to 24.1 billion. This undeniably paints a picture of the future belonging to connected devices.
We live in an era of constant paradigm shifts and paving the way for digital transformation and automation of everyday task management.
Worryingly, however, a smarter world does not mean smarter security.
Manufacturers often ignore security while designing the most pleasant user experience, which undoubtedly brings severe challenges to consumers and manufacturers.
Because millions of IoT devices collect vast amounts of data every day, including information about an individual's daily activities, cybercriminals can quickly get sneaky and exploit users' identities.
Adding to the challenge is the innocuous nature of different small devices, making them prime targets for cybercriminals, bypassing any weak layers of security to gain access to sensitive consumer data.
There is no doubt that IoT technology is immature and there are many challenges to overcome.
Let's dive into the various identity and access management challenges that require immediate attention in a modern IoT environment.
identity protection
With global IoT revenue expected to cross the $1.5 trillion mark by 2030, identity protection is a need now and will play a major role in the future.
Regardless of their use case, some IoT devices accumulate sensitive information from their surroundings, presenting a higher risk.
While the information contained in smart devices is not inherently dangerous, its depth can certainly put consumers and organizations in trouble.
This information can quickly paint a complete picture of the user, which helps criminals have all the necessary facts to exploit their identity.
Moreover, entertainment devices collect a lot of information, even watching users. This increases the chances of identity theft and abuse.
The security of these systems is tied to digital identities, which means that strong identity and access management (IAM) mechanisms should be an integral part of all IoT devices and networks to mitigate any risks.
Hence, privacy-related issues can lead to compromised identities, which further impact consumers and service providers.
Smart Home Security Concerns
As of now, the number of smart homes in the world is about 259.89 million, and it is expected to reach 478.2 million in 2025.
As the world relies more and more on smart devices, so does the potential for personal safety and privacy to be compromised.
This means that smart homes may offer endless possibilities, but users' sensitive data may be more at risk.
Let's find out why the smart home is a concern for cybersecurity experts.
Since every device in the home can be an entry point for data breaches, they can pose a serious threat to consumers and service providers since most devices do not rely on the best security mechanisms.
Whether we're talking about smart door locks, automatic lights, or entertainment devices, everything that can be accessed remotely is often a prime target for cybercriminals.
Additionally, devices controlled through applications and computer interfaces are equally vulnerable to security breaches. In most cases, the attacker takes advantage of a user who is already logged in as a user.
These types of security breaches can be avoided by adding layers of security to current networks and devices, which can kick in whenever someone attempts unauthorized access.
This means that strict security measures, including multi-factor authentication (MFA) and adaptive authentication, should be taken to ensure adequate security.
Fragile Disaster Recovery System
One of the significant challenges for vendors and IoT consumers is poor disaster recovery mechanisms for connected devices.
When it comes to identifying various risk points in advance, IoT systems cannot provide a perfect experience. This poses a serious risk because recovery cannot be guaranteed in these interconnected devices in the network. Модуль связи CAN2.0
This means that in the event of a system failure, critical information could be permanently lost.
Additionally, businesses without robust data recovery mechanisms could face financial losses and ultimately damage their brand reputation.
AI-based IoT systems combined with strict access management systems can predict various avoidable data risks. Additionally, businesses can reduce risk by analyzing the records generated by the machine learning-based architecture, which further facilitates smooth recovery in case of system failure.
Businesses need to have a well-structured data recovery plan in place before leveraging IoT devices to provide customers with a rich experience, as protecting sensitive consumer data should be a top priority.
security access control
Many businesses and individuals make use of smart access control systems to provide flawless user experience through connected IoT devices.
While it's a very convenient way of empowering employees or individuals within a network, it certainly leads to cybercriminals needlessly sneaking through devices in search of vulnerabilities.
Every year, millions of records are exposed due to human error, which can be the result of poor access control systems within an organization.
While enterprises and service providers are ultimately providing adequate security, somehow it is not enough, especially when strong security and access control mechanisms do not support connected devices.
This means attackers can further help them impersonate authorized users by exploiting connected devices to snoop on the network.
Security architects must accurately balance security and authentication methods, and must consider adding risk-based authentication and authorization methods to create a stronger line of defense.
final thoughts
There is no denying that adding strong authentication and authorization is a high priority, especially in a digital world where security threats have increased dramatically.
When considering an IoT ecosystem, identity and access management should be at the forefront, as cybercriminals are always looking for opportunities to exploit consumers’ identities for a variety of selfish reasons. AC-DC двойной
Additionally, businesses embarking on their digital transformation journey must consider relying on strong authentication mechanisms and adequate security policies before utilizing IoT devices and networks.