Ensuring IoT Security Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Tags: iotsecurity, covid19, iotsolutions
Published: 2020-07-01 07:01:09

The IoT has already changed the way people live, do business and communicate. The tremendous interconnection between connected and smarter buildings will lead to new efficiencies and abilities that unlock huge value for consumers, industries as well as cities. Nevertheless, these benefits come with significant challenges and cybersecurity risks.

Securing IoT devices from cyber security risks becomes more applicable than ever in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic catastrophe. The quick shift to remote working, for office workers and executives analyzing IoT-enabled operations remotely, opens up risks related to enlarged network access.

From tracking ambulances to leveraging contact tracing to recognize where possibly infected individuals have traveled, IoT takes parts in an important role.

Securing the business premises

As this pandemic is spreading a day by day, in an effort of executing immediately social distancing, many employees all over the world initiated working remotely from home and staying away from offices.

Outside of the normal and business-as-regular situation, with implementing social distancing rules and personnel working in sequence, employees might simply be less rigorous about security practices.

It has never been more essential to dynamically secure smart buildings/offices, which they frequently control, systems, or operations like data centers dependent on the accessibility of air conditioning systems.
Securing networks, analyzing network anomalies, recognizing harmful efforts including social engineering and spear-phishing attempts and evaluating IoT security configurations is the way forward.

Allow firewall protection and assure the corporate network is only available from whitelisted services.

Deactivate unused ports.

Implement network micro-segmentation by generating virtual networks to segregate IoT systems from other critical IT systems.
Allow analyzing and diagnostics and review them uniformly.
Prepare and upgrade the incident response plans as per the current threats.

Securing IoT Devices at both places in smart homes/buildings as well as in businesses is a shared responsibility and everyone should take part in realizing a more secure and strong digital environment both at home and at work.

Maintaining Security

In a few cases, computing devices wired for the purpose of transferring data over the global IoT network which has been an important part of establishing and helping the share of data. 

But the risks related to connected devices and apps, specifically security, privacy and safety, can deal with reliability and trustworthiness when utilized for the first time or in new forms.

 To assure IoT security, industries should examine implementing the following protocols:
1. Connectivity : Users’ connectivity should be implemented to assure they have both the speed and quality of connection needed.

2. Attacks : Hover over links to find out the sustainability of an email address. Make assure to not click on emails from senders you’re not near with and have an overall zero-trust issue of internet-originated traffic communications now more than ever.

3. Passwords: Contain display timeouts, lock screens as well as biometrics security settings wherever possible.

4. Encryption: Added encryption features, such as email encryption or secure file transfer services, should be utilized to assure that data is secured, whether in transit or being shared or in use.

5. Backups: Have an extensive duplicate data protection program in place, nevertheless where it remains.

6. Recognize and Privilege Access Management: The utilization of an identity provider is recommended because this assures a centralized management portal to administer users and to allow advanced security features, such as policy management, multifactor authentication and account and application providing and reporting.

7. Policy management: Industries should review cloud-based policy management platforms to impose security, data protection and other connected policies, as well as to assure they are in a position to report on those areas.

Beyond those prime steps to maintain your team functioning while being enforced to work remotely, it is essential to transfer information about secure computing and network utilization with your employees who may be new to working from home.

Responding to, reducing and retrieving from this widespread epidemic will need extraordinary strength, remarkable resources, solidarity and a combined effort from employers and governments.

But given the havoc correlated to the current situation, industries — especially those forced to retool operations quickly — should assure their cybersecurity crisis management ability is as robust as possible.

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