A growing constellation of connected internet of things (IoT) devices has transformed how businesses collect, exchange, analyze, and extrapolate vast amounts of data to gain insights into everything from understanding consumer behavior and improving business efficiencies to lowering operational costs and improving overall workplace safety.

As the number of connected devices grows, it becomes more difficult for organizations to protect them and keep dangers at bay. IoT devices are appealing targets for fraudsters because they are rife with vulnerabilities and provide an attack surface ripe for security breaches. Whether a company is just getting started with IoT or wants to extend their existing IoT networks, managing, monitoring, and safeguarding their linked IoT environments presents comparable problems. A few factors should be considered by organizations in order to properly protect IoT devices.

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Use Device Discovery to Gain Complete Visibility

The first step a company should do is to determine the precise number of IoT devices linked to its network. Discover what devices are linked to your network and maintain a complete, up-to-date inventory of all connected IoT assets, preferably with a specialized IoT security solution to guarantee all devices are recognized. Gather the manufacturer and model ID, the serial number, the hardware, software, and firmware versions, as well as information on the underlying operating systems and configuration used by each device. Determine the risk profile of each device and its behavior in relation to other network-connected devices. These profiles should aid in segmentation and the development of next-generation firewall policies. With each new IoT device linked to the network, you should constantly maintain your asset map up to date.

Use Network Segmentation to Improve Defense

The purpose of network segmentation for security is to limit the attack surface. Network segmentation separates a network into two or more subsections, allowing for more granular control over lateral traffic transit between devices and workloads. When a high number of endpoints connect directly with one another in an unsegmented network, there is a larger possibility that a single compromising event would spread laterally and become a contagion. In contrast, the more a network is segmented, the more difficult it is for hackers to use a device as a single point of breach for launching lateral attacks. Enterprises should establish network segments that isolate IoT devices from IT assets using virtual local area network (VLAN) setups and next-generation firewall regulations. This way, both groups can be protected from the possibility of a lateral exploit. Increased integration between your IoT security solution and your next-generation firewall will bring IoT context to your next-generation firewall’s capabilities while also reducing time and effort in policy writing.

Implement Secure Password Practices

Password-related attacks on IoT devices continue to be fueled by poor password security practices. As a result, keeping good password security is crucial for safeguarding your IoT endpoints. Many IoT devices ship with weak default passwords that are easily found online. When an IoT device is initially linked to your network, it is recommended practice to replace the default password with a more secure, difficult one. The new password should be difficult to guess, unique to each protected device, and consistent with the password policy and management procedures of your IT security team.

Continue to patch and update the firmware when new versions become available

While conventional IT systems can fix security problems via frequent updates, most IoT devices aren’t built with this capability, therefore security flaws persist eternally. In the case of IoT devices with exceptionally extended shelf life, there is often a danger that support may be discontinued by the manufacturer. When configuring a new IoT device, check the vendor’s website for any updated security updates for known vulnerabilities. Working with your IoT device manufacturers to build recurring patch management and firmware upgrade plan is critical to ensuring your devices are constantly patched with the latest updates. Add dedicated IoT-aware file and online threat protection, as well as virtual patching capabilities through intrusion prevention, to avoid data loss.

Maintain Constant Active Monitoring of IoT Devices

For enterprises to manage their IoT risks, real-time monitoring, reporting, and alerting are critical. Traditional endpoint security solutions, however, cannot safeguard IoT assets because they need software agents that IoT devices are not built to accept. Take a different strategy. Implement a real-time monitoring solution that easily integrates with your current security posture and next-generation firewall investment to continually examine the behavior of all your network-connected IoT endpoints.