The internet of things (IoT) has made the world more convenient, efficient and enjoyable, with the dramatic surge of internet-connected devices transforming how individuals, households and businesses interact on a day-to-day basis.

From baby monitors to digital assistants to sensors monitoring traffic on major highways, a plethora of IoT devices connected to networks are helping drive many benefits for users. While the benefits of IoT devices are undeniable, the internet of things is vulnerable to security threats. Here are some ways to secure your IoT devices.

Secure Device Hardware Accessibility
Software security has proven inadequate to thwart the known threats. A networked device lacking adequate hardware security can be easily hacked by an end-user.

So, how can you overcome this security flaw and secure your IoT devices against end-users? By encrypting and protecting configuration bit streams. Moreover, equipping your devices with tamper protection, zeroization, and secure key storage can significantly reduce the chances of a successful attack. The hardware will identify unauthorized access and tampering, and zeroize when tampering is detected.

Secure Port Communication
Communication to and from the device needs to be secured using encrypted communication. One way to ensure this is avoiding the use of insecure encryption algorithm. Using weak encryption algorithms creates a false sense of security. We think that our encrypted data will never be decrypted and stay hidden as long as we want. However, that will only be true if you use solid encryption algorithms or follow secure encryption processes.

Use Encryptions
Encryption can help prevent unauthorized access to data and devices. Part of a complete security management process, encryption uses standard cryptographic algorithms to secure data at rest and in transit between IoT edge devices and back-end systems. This helps maintain data integrity and prevent data sniffing by hackers.

Use Authentication
All communication with your IoT devices should be authenticated using strong passwords, authentication protocols or time-based authentication tokens.

Ensure Protection Against Phishing and Malwares
Antivirus software can provide a critical layer of protection against attacks. They limit communication to only known, trusted hosts, blocking hackers before they can launch an attack.

Employ Middleware Hardware Physical Security
A category of software, Middleware Hardware Physical Security provides a platform and applicationswhich are designed to integrate multiple unconnected security applications and devices and control them through one comprehensive user interface.

By controlling access to hardware and software, physical security eliminates the possibility of anyone damaging or stealing devices or data. Moreover, it limits physical interaction with equipment and implements systems to ensure that equipment is safe from environmental threats and to promote physical security.