Internet of Things Security: Threats, Issues, and Solutions Overview

This report provides an overview of Internet of Things (IoT) security, highlighting the increasing importance of securing interconnected devices. It discusses the shift from closed to public networks and the resulting security concerns. The report explores various sources of IoT attacks, including internet bugs, eavesdropping, and malware like DNS Changer and Linux worms. It details common vulnerabilities such as the use of weak passwords and software bugs, and how these are exploited by hackers. The role of chip manufacturers and the limitations of their security measures are also examined. The report proposes Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) as a solution to enhance security, detailing their functions in managing connections, monitoring traffic, and improving application performance. The importance of prioritizing IoT security, especially with the expansion of IoT applications, is emphasized, with the recommendation to implement IPv6 protocol. The report concludes with references to relevant research papers.

Internet of Things (IoT) Security
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Introduction
 Internet of things can manage huge number of devices that are
interconnected in the network and provides the capability to
communicate and manage devices remotely through the internet.
 The transfer of IT networks from closed networks to enterprise
networks to public internet is taking place at a fast rate and
therefore creating alarming IoT security issues.
 Breaches in IoT security is becoming an alarming issue and
dominating news headlines lately.

Importance of IoT security
 Service providers of platforms and devices are increasingly being concerned
about sensitive data that flows through IoT devices in the network.
 Security experts are continuously warning about the huge number of
connected devices through internet that are prone to malicious attacks since
the birth of IoT concept in late 1990s.
 They fear for security disaster if security issues are not solved soon.
 Hackers are finding it easy to hack routers instead of computers.

Sources of IoT attacks
IoT security breaches might happen due to attacks from internet bugs,
eavesdropping, denial-of-service attacks and ransom ware attacks.
Common malwares that attack IoT devices are :
Malware DNS Changer that attacks computers, home routers
Linux worms that targets cameras, routers and other embedded
systems connected to the internet through Internet of Things.

IoT security issues and
vulnerabilities Hackers are exploiting these security issues and stealing personal
information of users through various means.
 Individuals use the same ID and password for their IoT devices,
which can be easily hacked.
 Hackers are using a particular software bug to hijack smart cars
remotely.
 Google accounts are being hacked through IoT devices to gain
bank information.

IoT security issues and
vulnerabilities

Contribution of chip
manufacturers to IoT security
 The chip manufacturer makes the chip as cheap as possible while
keeping profit margin slim without giving priority to security
issues.
 The problem lies with software that has been programmed in the
chip.
 Software provided is old even when the device is new.
 The situation becomes worse as old software components cannot
be upgraded to latest versions.
 The result is millions of devices sitting insecure in the internet.

Increase of attacks on IoT
devices and systems

Application-programming Interface
as a solution to IoT security issues
The functions that API management system provides are:
 Connection between application in use and API is automated and
controlled by API software tool.
 Traffic of individual applications is monitored by API software tool
 Application performance can be improved by the use of API management
system as it provides caching mechanism and memory management.

IoT security should be given
more priority
 The application of IoT is reaching from industrial control to home
appliances and devices such as transport and power control.
 Security of the devices connected through internet should be given
more priority as the devices handles sensitive user data and
information.
 IPv6 protocol should be implemented to ensure security in IoT
devices.

References
 Mahmoud, R., Yousuf, T., Aloul, F., & Zualkernan, I. (2015, December). Internet of things (IoT) security: Current status,
challenges and prospective measures. In Internet Technology and Secured Transactions (ICITST), 2015 10th International
Conference for (pp. 336-341). IEEE.
 Riahi, A., Challal, Y., Natalizio, E., Chtourou, Z., & Bouabdallah, A. (2013, May). A systemic approach for IoT security. In
Distributed Computing in Sensor Systems (DCOSS), 2013 IEEE International Conference on (pp. 351-355). IEEE.
 Tankard, C. (2015). The security issues of the Internet of Things. Computer Fraud & Security, 2015(9), 11-14.
 Wurm, J., Hoang, K., Arias, O., Sadeghi, A. R., & Jin, Y. (2016, January). Security analysis on consumer and
industrial iot devices. In Design Automation Conference (ASP-DAC), 2016 21st Asia and South Pacific (pp. 519-524).
IEEE.