When the concept of IoT (Internet of Things) first started being discussed, it sounded futuristic and empowering. In practice, it turned out to be maybe less exciting but proved quite valuable. The chances of your fridge and your car conspiring against you remain very low, but there is another risk involved that many people may be unaware of: hacking.

As most household appliances are becoming smart and networked, they are increasingly targeted by intruders looking for easy access to your system. That’s why device identification is so indispensable for protecting private information and preventing incidents that could compromise a user’s entire digital life.

What Actually Is IoT and Why We Need It

The idea to enable direct exchange of information between objects aimed to simplify automation of routine tasks and improve performance of every item in the network. With advances in hardware and software over the previous decade and the near-universal availability of broadband internet, establishing such connections became completely straightforward. As a result, modern devices are largely aware of their environment and capable of adjusting to the current situation (i.e. doorbell camera turning on when detecting movement).

Most of those connections happen in the background without any active involvement of the user. A device can automatically download a new upgrade over the air, update its databases or maps, send instructions to another device or user, or perform a range of other useful tasks. IoT is like an invisible network making our technology smarter and liberating us from repeating the same tasks over and over on a daily basis. As it turns out, there is a hidden price to pay for all this convenience.

How IoT Can Be Exploited by Hackers

Digital security is predicated on controlling access points to the system and requiring authentication before granting it. The arrival of IoT changed the security calculus by introducing numerous access points that are not easily controlled from a single center. Each part of the network runs its own authentication procedure, and completing it is often given unrestricted access to the entire ecosystem. That practically means a single busted password can be enough for a complete failure of a multi-layered security system.

Malicious users often try to contact connected devices through Bluetooth, mobile networks, or other channels that are difficult to monitor in real time. That means even devices that users think are currently offline may be vulnerable to attack. The risk increases in a public setting, where it’s virtually impossible to know who might be trying to log into your gadgets. This means a more robust digital trust model is needed to manage the security challenges in the IoT era.

How to Verify the Identity of Each Device

The best way to stay safe is to restrict access to the network to known devices only. There is no legitimate reason for unfamiliar devices to connect to your own, so it’s better to block them all than try to deduce which requests are actually dangerous. Doing this proactively is much smarter than being left to guess ‘who was playing online here?’ after spotting unusual activity coming from your home network.

There are several authentication techniques you could use, ranging from simple device fingerprinting using a MAC address to advanced cryptographic keys. The level of required protection depends on the size and value of the network, so it stands to reason that basic techniques are sufficient in home settings while large industrial systems need a more forceful device ID mechanism. In the most sensitive cases, a physical check of the hardware might be needed to ensure it hasn’t been tampered with.

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