The world of information technology is moving towards a new trend called the Internet of Things, or IoT for short. Thus, there is a considerable drive to connect things and make use of the data which is compiled of people as they interact with different objects daily. However, as these objects become more interlinked, it creates more opportunity for Cyber attackers to make their way covertly into the Security gaps, and exploit them.

The propagation of connected objects, devices, systems, and services has enormous opportunities and benefits for society. These connected devices play a critical role in our day-to-day life.

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However, protection from the Cyber attacker is a genuine concern not just in the overall world of IoT, but also in every one of the unique objects, applications, devices or frameworks in which this data is shared.

For example, a recent research study released by Juniper hypothesized the fate of human collaboration with innovation. The investigation found that by the end of 2016 there will be 168 million devices which will make use of motion or signal following. A prime example of this are the wearable devices, virtual reality, etc. With this vast adoption rate, the study reveals that there will be 492 million motion and signal GPS beacons by 2020 to support this infrastructure.

With the enormous exposure of connected devices to the internet and human life, the IoT has brought on a challenging threat to the cybersecurity world. The lack of embedded security and secure programming to protect IoT devices is raising a red flag that IoT is creating a higher risk than any other innovation in the technology world.

For example, studies have shown that 75 percent of IoT devices today are defenseless and as a result, are susceptible to getting compromised or hacked. Many the vulnerabilities are due to password strength, and the other types of shortcomings to secure these devices. Also, numerous IoT devices come with no security incorporated into them.

Security Countermeasures for IoT:

Information Encryption Mechanism

Encryption is the process of converting plaintext into an indiscernible pattern known as ciphertext. The network layer of the IoT adopts a hop-by-hop encryption mechanism to secure the nodes at the network layer.

It is the application layer of the IoT that embraces the end-to-end encryption component to transmit the data between the sender and the collector safely. Along with this and other tools such as secure key management and secure key exchanges, one can prevent attacks such as eavesdropping, fabrication, on IoT systems.

Accreditation and Access control

Utilizing a public key infrastructure (PKI) approach, one can accomplish data integrity by public key accreditation for protecting the realness and privacy of an IoT framework. It is a safe method for finding the identity of the parties who are engaged in data exchange. The usage of access control provides for a secure IoT environment by limiting the access to the devices which people interact with daily. However, for this to happen, an IoT system should first provide for a secure certification system.

Distributed computing

The cloud is the name which is given to store vast amounts of information and data. The IoT can make use of distributed computing for information storage, and the preparation of the information/data which has been gathered from the numerous sensor hubs.

A significant portion of the IoT vulnerabilities can be mitigated by following best security practices. There is also a need create thorough global standards and best practices for IoT security. In this regard, Security should be included at the start of the IoT configuration and implementation processes.

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Also, it is essential to screen the systems of associated devices. In the off chance that there is a reasonable stock of associated devices in the system and the stock database is frequently refreshed when a device is included or expelled from it, it is likely that the associated devices can be secured and kept from human abuse.