Repository of Metadata-Related Threats and Mitigation Strategies to Enhance Security in Smart Homes
Brittany D. Davis, Yang Liu, Mohd M. Anwar · 2024
The Internet of Things (IoT) revolutionizes smart homes by interconnecting devices for seamless user experiences. However, the data describing this interconnected ecosystem, known as IoT metadata, presents security vulnerabilities. This paper proposes a repository of metadata-related threats and mitigation strategies designed to secure smart home environments. We begin our study by examining the literature on IoT metadata security, including common vulnerabilities, potential threats, and mitigation strategies. Our key contribution is the development of the repository through a multi-step process: identifying vulnerabilities, assessing threats, researching mitigation strategies, and compiling them into a structured resource. To evaluate the repository's effectiveness, we conducted real-world simulations of attack scenarios on smart home devices. The results demonstrate the repository's ability to identify vulnerabilities, assess threats, and recommend appropriate mitigation strategies. Additionally, we provide a detailed schema of the repository and discuss its scalability and integration with existing security frameworks. We further analyze the scalability of the mitigation strategies, confirming their applicability across diverse smart home environments. The proposed mitigation repository represents a significant contribution to securing smart home environments. Security professionals can create a more secure and resilient IoT ecosystem by proactively managing vulnerabilities and threats through the use of this repository.