Internet of Things Security: Ongoing Threats and Proposed Solutions
Samuel Strba · 2018
This paper will describe the security vulnerabilities posed by Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and potential solutions to alleviate these vulnerabilities. It will describe how IoT devices work, and how they differ from conventional devices such as personal computers in utilizing the Internet. Then the paper will describe the security threats associated with IoT devices, and how a lack of proper security in IoT devices exacerbates this problem. Finally, it will describe proposed solutions to improve IoT device security. IoT devices are seeing increasing deployment in the field, and the continued growth of the Internet of Things along with the lack of security in such devices continues to raise concerns of how security is and should be handled in these devices. The Mirai botnet attacks of 2016 highlighted the potential for IoT devices to be hijacked and be exploited for malicious purposes such as distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Solutions such as router security and ethernet firewalls are proposed to protect vulnerable devices in the absence of manufacturer intervention. While cybersecurity researchers will be in constant battle against the latest threats and malwares, they must continue to combat these issues to uphold Internet security.