The Role of IoT Cybersecurity in Connected Devices

The IoT value chain is far from being an industry standard. Because of the immaturity of the IoT market, there has yet to be any agreement on the subject. Nevertheless, there is some agreement on three aspects of the IoT value chain that must be considered.

Fremont, CA: Businesses are already vulnerable to cybersecurity threats that can cause irreversible harm. And it is not just a financial issue. Cyberattacks on critical industrial sectors like water, electricity, or gas can have serious consequences and have an impact on consumer society. When these companies use IoT to execute digitalization processes, the vectors of attack significantly increase. Talking about IoT security entails discussing cybersecurity across one's entire value chain. To do so, it is necessary to first understand the value chain in IoT.

Value Chain

The IoT value chain is far from being an industry standard. Because of the immaturity of the IoT market, there has yet to be any agreement on the subject. Nevertheless, there is some agreement on three aspects of the IoT value chain that must be considered.

Cloud or Remote Plane

It is what gives meaning to the "I" in IoT. It gathers, processes, and applies the data that it receives. It is critical to emphasize that some of the processing and intelligence on local data is commonly done on edge itself – a practice known as edge computing. The Internet of Things cloud is a collection of servers, databases, and remote analytics and visualization platforms that process and value data. It is also frequently the primary interface for communicating with humans who consume these data.

So, security in IoT entails security at all three levels. They are all necessary to ensure the integrity of the data exchanged as well as the remote and local systems involved.

Historically, communication networks and cloud elements have been much larger and more secure. And it is precisely on this that the vast majority of cyberattacks and security threats are centred.

Edge or Local Plane

This is the level closest to the physical world, denoted by the letter "T" in IoT. (Things). Sensors and actuators that interact with the physical world are included, as are gateways, hubs, and other IoT nodes that interact with the sensors and actuators locally.