Securing the IoT: Taming the Connected World

The Internet of Things (IoT) has exploded into the connected world and promises much: from enabling the digital organisation, to making domestic life richer and easier. With those promises come the inevitable risks: the rush to adoption has highlighted serious deficiencies in both the security design of IoT devices and their implementation. Coupled with increasing governmental concerns around the societal, commercial and critical infrastructure impacts of this technology, the emerging world of the IoT has attracted significant attention.

The IoT can be broken down into consumer-orientated products and industrial-orientated products; however, Member organisations can face risks from both these aspects of the IoT as it enters the workplace by design and also by stealth. It is important that information security functions take a proactive approach to this potentially poorly secured world and ensure that the IoT does not represent a weak spot in organisational defences.

This ISF briefing paper explores:

• definitions of IoT
• technical characteristics
• fundamental security issues
• emerging security practice
• legal and regulatory landscapes