Modern day logistics requires significant planning and organization for the secure management of vehicles, cargo, and timely pick-ups and deliveries. To assist with this, a diverse ecosystem of IoT devices has been implemented to ensure the prompt distribution of products to a broad, and growing, population.
On the production line, there’s a lot happening that can’t be seen - devices communicating with each other, the cloud and critical systems using various protocols over various networks. IoT devices and sensors are measuring machine performance and stocking inventories. Managing this network can be overwhelming, but IoT gateways solve a number of challenges through streamlining data flow and ensuring connectivity.
With increased connectivity comes heightened security risks. Ensuring the security of IoT gateways is paramount to protect sensitive data and maintain the integrity of the network. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) security and robust IoT identity management play a crucial role in safeguarding these gateways.
- What is an IoT Gateway Device?
- The Importance of Securing an IoT Gateway
- 3 Steps to Secure an IoT Gateway
- Keeping Your Gateways Secure
What is an IoT Gateway Device?
An IoT gateway device bridges the communication gap between IoT devices, sensors, equipment, systems and the cloud. By systematically connecting the field and the cloud, IoT gateway devices offer local processing and storage solutions, as well as the ability to autonomously control field devices based on data input by sensors.
IoT gateways implement security measures such as data encryption and device authentication, often utilizing PKI for enhanced protection. The gateway then transmits the processed and secured data to the cloud over networks like Wi-Fi or Ethernet, maintaining efficient and secure data flow.
Additionally, IoT gateways manage the lifecycle of IoT devices, including provisioning, firmware updates, and health monitoring. Platforms like GlobalSign’s Edge Enroll automate these processes, ensuring secure and streamlined device management. By performing these functions, IoT gateways enhance the performance, reliability, and security of IoT networks.
The Importance of Securing an IoT Gateway
IoT gateway devices can work to integrate Operational Technology (OT) with Information Technology (IT), offering numerous benefits:
- High Scalability: IoT gateways enable seamless scalability by managing and processing data from a multitude of devices. This allows IT systems to handle increased data loads efficiently as the IoT ecosystem expands, making them suitable for use at scale in an industrial market
- Lowering Costs: Processing data locally and only sending relevant information to the cloud reduces the need for extensive cloud storage and processing power. This can significantly lower operational costs
- Faster Production: Real-time data processing and local decision-making capabilities mean accelerated production processes. This leads to quicker response times and improved operational efficiency
- Reduced Telecommunications Cost: Minimize the amount of data transmitted over networks by filtering and aggregating data locally. This reduces telecommunication costs and optimizes bandwidth usage
- Mitigated Risks: Enhanced security features such as automatic data encryption and secure boot help protect sensitive information and mitigate risks associated with cyber threats. This ensures the integrity and confidentiality of data across the IoT ecosystem
Gateways also prevent the risk of vulnerabilities and device malfunction. For example, if a warehouse were to exceed required temperature levels, without an IoT Gateway Device, the operator would have to fix this manually. However, through an alert system, the gateway is configured to send firmware updates to all devices (i.e. smart air vent dampers) when the data shows that the warehouse is too hot.
As the number of devices grows, so do the number of communications and data exchanges, exposing networks to a higher risk of vulnerabilities being exploited. PKI ensures the security of the data being exchanged and prevent unauthorized access.
3 Steps to Secure an IoT Gateway
To secure your gateways, you will need to ensure that all communications between the gateway and devices are secure for both the internal and external networks.
It is also worth noting that the gateway is often the first to be attacked because of a couple of reasons: It has a higher processing power, which it can use to run more intensive applications. More power means better software, but better software means more vulnerabilities for a hacker to exploit.
Also, Because of its location as an Edge device between the internet and the intranet, the gateway is the point of entry for any threat vector (as well as a system’s first line of defense).
When securing an IoT gateway, you should follow these three steps:
Step 1: Identity for the Gateway Device
The first step would be to give your gateway device an identity (by using an X.509 Digital Certificate). Any external entities connecting to the gateway will now be able to verify the identity of the gateway which is now enabling HTTPs or NTLS protocols. Commands being issued to devices or sensors in the field are now coming from a trusted device.
Step 2: Enable ‘Strong’ Identity for the Gateway Device
Because your gateway device is vulnerable to physical tampering, private keys can be extracted and cloned leaving your gateway device vulnerable to spoofing, or even man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks.
In order to prevent this, you would have to use extra security measures, such as embedding a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) device into your Gateway, using a PUF (Physical Unclonable Function). This would securely store the private keys of all Digital Certificates, making sure they never leave the gateway.
Step 3: Use the Gateway to Provision Identity to Your Ecosystem
Now that you have enabled strong identity in your gateway device, you need to think about having strong identity for the devices and sensors in the field. Because some of these are likely unable to connect to the internet, provisioning identity through a Certificate Management Service without a Gateway will be difficult.
Instead, we can use the gateway as a trusted security mechanism to secure anything that is connected to the gateway. The gateway acts as a proxy between the CA Services and the devices in the field. As with the device itself you would expect this to happen using the standard PKI infrastructure, that is, an X.509 certificate through a private hierarchy.
Now the gateway and devices are secure and therefore all the communication in your intranet is secure. So you have security, confidentiality and authentication, allowing your IoT ecosystem to be end-to-end secured using a PKI infrastructure.
Keeping Your Gateways Secure
IoT gateways play a crucial role in connecting and managing the vast array of devices within the Internet of Things ecosystem. To keep your IoT gateway secure, it’s essential to implement robust security measures such as regular firmware updates, strong authentication protocols, and network segmentation. Through monitoring and logging activities you can help detect and respond to potential threats promptly. By prioritizing security, you can safeguard your IoT infrastructure and ensure the integrity and confidentiality of your data.
However, securing your IoT devices doesn’t stop at the gateway. Ensuring each device has a unique, strong identity is essential for comprehensive security. To safeguard your IoT fleet you need authenticated, automated enrolment for your devices, using IoT Edge Enroll. With its full-featured registration authority service, IoT Edge Enroll simplifies and optimizes the device enrollment process, ensuring secure, customizable device identities throughout their lifecycle.
Manage your ecosystem easily and securely through GlobalSign’s IoT Device Enrollment
