How IoT Firewalls Defend Against Stealthy Cyberattacks

Convenience and efficiency have been indispensable elements in our technological developments for over a decade. As a result, today, we eat, sleep, and breathe with one of the most revolutionary technologies: IoT. The Internet of Things has transformed the digital landscape and built an ever-growing ecosystem of IoT connected devices.

From surveillance cameras to smartwatches, we integrate many IoT devices for everyday tasks and operations in our lives. Specifically, modern businesses can benefit from the data IoT devices provide for their organizational operations. Also, businesses should be wary of the vulnerabilities of the Internet of Things and the security threats it can pose to the organization's network. Since IoT devices consist of simple hardware that lacks security tools, they can be used as an entry point for security breaches and cyber attacks.

That's the reason why modern businesses must ensure the security of IoT devices in their network with proper security solutions. In this regard, IoT firewalls offer efficient protection for devices with unconventional traffic patterns, i.e. IoT networks and devices. Today, we'll explore the capabilities of IoT firewalls, analyze their defenses against intrusions, and give real-world success stories of IoT firewalls.

Understanding IoT Firewalls

The IoT Firewall definition is quite similar to the traditional firewall in terms of operations but they specialize their defense for IoT devices or ecosystems. So, IoT firewalls are the primary layer of defense for IoT network security that regulates all network traffic and deploys access control as per firewall rules. The goal of the IoT firewall solution is to restrict unauthorized access and eliminate potential intrusions to the IoT network.

With an IoT firewall, network administrators can analyze network traffic and control which type of traffic should be permitted or blocked based on firewall policies, rules, and micro parameters such as device behaviors and data packet information. Since IoT devices have pre-defined functions, they can only request access to specific destinations or receive connection requests from certain locations. So, inbound connection requests from only specific locations should be allowed. For example, a smart fridge or a smart oven should have only HTTPS traffic normally. Non-HTTPS traffic in such devices can indicate malicious activity or unauthorized access and should be restricted. In another instance, scan requests from openSSH ports globally should be blocked for surveillance cameras.

IoT Firewall Defenses: An In-depth Exploration

IoT firewall defenses function distinctively for different types of IoT firewalls, i.e. IoT network firewalls and IoT embedded firewalls.

An IoT network firewall is deployed as a network gateway component to control access for IoT deployments at micro and macro segmentation levels. IoT network firewalls establish security by encrypting traffic between network gateways and remote servers through VPN tunnels. By using VPN tunnels for encrypted transmissions, these firewalls provide an additional layer of security for IoT data handling.

An IoT embedded firewall is incorporated into the IoT device itself by device manufacturers. These embedded firewalls are placed in the operating system of IoT devices to filter traffic and secure data transmission and handling. Also, embedded IoT firewalls can help organizations decrease the attack surface and restrict unauthorized activity micro-segmenting the network into secure zones.

Case Studies: When IoT Firewalls Successfully Defended Against Cyber Intrusions

The National Football League, NFL, is a distinguished sports league that hosts the Super Bowl and has more than 18 billion USD in revenue. Many IoT devices are implemented and used throughout the league making the NFL an attractive target for cyber criminals. During the 2022-2023 Super Bowl period, IoT firewalls coupled with additional security tools have successfully blocked nearly 17 thousand security breaches. Also, IoT firewalls eliminated 9000 intrusion events and blocked 400,000 connections from blocklisted regions. NFL information security officers were able to achieve the transparency and visibility they needed against a large scale of threat vectors.

An Australian fuel provider Ampol powers the country's fuel market with 1500 retail stores, 89 oil depots, and 100 corporate sites. This corporation utilizes the Internet of Things to manage reliable service to customers and enhance customer experience. Also, almost 50 vendors had access to their retail network and IoT devices. With a massive attack surface, Ampol integrated IoT firewalls across the board and ensured the cybersecurity of their network. They ended up eliminating security threats spread across 15 consoles and gained comprehensive visibility which is critical for their operations.

Vulnerabilities Exploited by Cyberattackers in IoT Devices

By nature, all IoT devices have poor security and are vulnerable to being exploited by cybercriminals and other online threats. Just because IoT infrastructure lacks secure connections, the Internet of Things also increases the attack surface of the network they connect to. Threats may seem inevitable at first glance, but the situation isn't hopeless. To a certain degree, indeed, your organization can't avoid being a target for hackers unless you take necessary precautions against known vulnerabilities and security gaps.

Now let's start by sorting out the most common security risks and vulnerabilities exploited by cyberattackers in IoT devices.

1- Lack of built-in security and poor physical security: As we mentioned earlier, IoT devices don't have built-in security tools such as firewalls, anti-virus, or anti-malware. So, it is a piece of cake to infect these devices with malware and compromise them. On top of this issue, most IoT devices are also vulnerable physically due to their design and operations. For instance, surveillance cameras are deployed in public and remote locations. With one successful physical access, attackers can bypass IoT security defenses.

2- Insecure communication: Internet of Things are devices that gather and exchange data with other devices or systems. In some IoT devices, this communication is routed through an unencrypted channel. Due to the insecure communications and data transmissions, these systems are vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks and sensitive data can be stolen easily.

3- Insecure protocols: IoT devices don't always avoid using insecure Internet protocols for their traffic. In this scenario, cybercriminals can exploit these flawed protocols without sweating to steal login credentials and infiltrate the networks.

4- Poor passwords and inadequate authentication: The default passwords in IoT are rarely changed upon deployment although some are hardcoded. Known or weak passwords can be easily guessed by hackers to log in to vulnerable devices if there is little to no authentication.

5- Lack of standardization: Not every IoT device manufacturer implements security measures in the same way or even implements none of them. Although there is a variety of IoT devices available on the market, this lack of standardization creates inconsistent patchwork and leaves security gaps in the device.

6- Demanding patch management: Most of the time, IoT device updates are often neglected or manufacturers might miss timely patch updates. In either case, outdated software or firmware can lead to vulnerability exploitation and infected devices by malware and zero-day attacks.

Employing AI and ML in IoT Firewalls for Enhanced Protection

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) enhance the security and effectiveness of IoT firewalls in various ways while resolving the shortcomings of these firewalls. AI and ML-powered IoT firewalls have been tested to be more effective in threat prevention by 95 percent. AI and ML automate the processes of IoT firewalls without additional hardware and human error. Also, these technologies extend the visibility and protection of IoT devices with firewalls. On top of this, employing AI and ML in IoT firewalls can be applied to user authentication, access control, vulnerability detection, or predictive maintenance areas.

How Developing Tech is Shaping IoT Firewall Defenses

In a world where data is no longer private, it is our responsibility to secure sensitive data and information. The security of an increasing amount of IoT devices and networks is critical. For this reason, professionals continue to develop security technologies that can effectively protect IoT and private networks. Now that AI and ML have taken the world by storm, it is also used to enhance IoT firewall defenses by detecting threats, encrypting data, and enforcing access control. As the technology continues to advance, AI and ML solutions will be crucial for protecting IoT ecosystems.