IOT for Security Issues and Solutions -myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theIOT for Security Issues and Solutions for RFID. Answer: Introduction IoT describes a future technology where devices connect to the internet and are able to distinguish themselves from other connected devices. These functionalities will be achieved using recognition packages that include RFID (radio frequency identification) chips, sensors and wireless networks. For the network, the internet will be used as its the most diverse network in existence today. On the other hand, sensors and RFID chips will be used as the controlling infrastructure(Vandana, 2016). IoT as a technology will serve all industries without discrimination thus will facilitate a wider and broader connectivity of systems. According to ICT experts, IoT must have intelligent systems for it to meet its functionalities where it will conduct business activities without any form of human involvement. Now, this intelligence will be propagated by identity management (IM) models that will help devices to identify themselves in a pool of many heterogeneous devices. Therefore, a given region will have a unique IP address however, specific devices will have other unique IDs(Tanaka, Fujishima, Mimura, Ohashi, Tanaka, 2016). Summary of discussions In the first journal, Suchitra Vandana (2016), classifies the security issues facing IoT into four major groups, those affecting; the perception layer, physical layer, network layer and the application layer. The perception layer is at the lowest level has sensors and RFID chips which exist as networking nodes thus have the possibility of being compromised based on their existing connections. On the other hand, the physical layer constitutes the carrier frequencies that can be easily jammed having identified the operational bands. The network layer on its behalf houses the access procedures that can be hacked either by malware attacks or by denial of service attacks. Both of these attacks would affect the technology as a whole by interfering with the datas confidentiality and integrity. Finally, the application layer having the front-end resources would be compromised depending on the security features used by the end-users, for instance, eavesdropping and data tampering(Tasneem, Mah moud, Aloul, Zualkernan, 2015). Now, based on the security issues outlined above, one is able to understand the IoT challenges raised by ICT experts today. For one, data confidentiality will be a big issue because the users may lack the capability to know who accesses their information. Moreover, the said data will be available to a large group of people who do not know each other. It will, therefore, be a hard task to pinpoint the exact users of the information owing to the pervasive nature of the internet which at its present form, already exhibit many integrity and authentication problems. Therefore, considering IoT will increase the size of this ambiguous technology, the drawbacks are seen today will also escalate to the levels of the new system(Tanaka, Fujishima, Mimura, Ohashi, Tanaka, 2016). Important issues not addressed adequately While analysing the discussions given in the IoT forums, a common trend was observed, that of highlighting the technical problems of IoT. For instance, in the first discussion the emphasis is given to the back-end operations more so, those found in the network layer. In this layer, a lot of research that outlines malware attacks e.g. tag cloning is given. However, little is discussed on the security problems facing the end users i.e. front-end IoT security challenges. According to Royal Institute of Navigation (2016), most of the todays cyber-attacks are caused by the naivety of the end users which signifies the importance of addressing the security problems caused by the application layer(Navigator, 2016). Therefore, security problems caused by peoples ignorance should be addressed as they would drastically minimise the security problems facing IoT. Furthermore, by addressing these issues, IoT proponents would develop components and systems that are based on the users needs. In addition to this, these discussions fail to highlight the link between the security issues caused by the perception layer and those caused by the manufacturers. Remember, the devices used to access the internet are made by different manufacturers who in most cases prioritise on product deployment rather on product security. In the end, the end user acquires sub-standard devices and are constantly pestered with system updates. Therefore, in the future, IoT should aim to develop industry standards and policies that deal with the manufacturers of the end products. Moreover, the same policies would help mitigate some of the end user problems that facilitate intruders in their cause of accessing systems(Bitag, 2016). Impact of IoT Security issues and challenges Any security threat that faces the internet today can be considered as a future threat for IoT systems. In the existing technology, data problems as highlighted by the issues raised above are at the forefront of the security issues facing IoT, from malware attacks to tags cloning and even tag tracking systems. These security problems can greatly impair business activities by interfering with network connections and computer performances(Hausman, Alston, Chapple, 2017). In light of these impairments, the following impacts of IoT security problems are highlighted: Capacity IoT been an intelligent technology will require good computer resources, this will include storage, processors and networks. The highlighted problems will impair these resources which will end up affecting the overall capacity of the technology. Data harvesting many laws have been put in place to safeguard peoples information. These laws include copyright and privacy acts that protect users intellect more so through the data they provide online. The problems highlighted by this report infringe on these laws which would affect both the individuals and the companies involved. In all, the victims loss their variable resources i.e. data, while the culprits acquire criminal records that affect their course of life. Time another considerable impact of the security problems facing IoT, as many hours are spent reinforcing system rather than conducting business. Furthermore, most of these problems will slow down business operations because of the weight of the parasitic systems. These illegal components of the IoT will use vital computational resources in their activities which will deprive the legitimate activities the same resources(Hausman, Alston, Chapple, 2017). Furthermore, a lot of time may be spent on rectifying compromised systems as compared to fulfilling the duties of business. Reflection First, the IoT architecture has many faults that leave it susceptible to attacks. These attacks stem from all layers affiliated with the technology as highlighted before where sequential weaknesses are exhibited from the back-end resources (perception layer) to the front end systems (application layer). Therefore, the main lesson from this discussion is that IoT security is an important requirement of time. How is this so? In essence, security must provide the integrity, confidentiality and authenticity of information. These components of security, commonly known as CIA, will often change with time because of the constant variations exhibited by security procedures(Martin Khazanchi, 2006). Therefore, the security problems facing IoT can only be solved by employing dynamic communication protocols that respond to the needs of time. Furthermore, the external factors that are associated with the technology must also be considered in the implementation of the technology. Therefore, the sensory devices and the end users must be held with equal security measures as those used within the distribution systems. In addition to this, the existing methods of research should be changed, as they are heavily inclined to the authentication of IoT systems. Now, while it is important to develop adequate access control systems, these components are already in place and should be strengthened by empowering the supporting structures. This process can be done by developing standards and policies for the device manufacturers. Moreover, the end users can be sensitized on the importance of good security measures(Aldossary Allen, 2016). Conclusion This report has highlighted the state of IoT technology by discussing the security problems it faces. From the discussion given, these problems have been seen in all aspects of the technology which highlights the importance of research in security measures. Furthermore, the IoT technology has been exhibited as an evolution of the existing worldwide connection (the internet). This link can be used by IoT proponents to expand their understanding of the problems facing the technology. In essence, IoT developers including device manufacturers can extrapolate the security problems facing the internet to develop adequate frameworks for dealing with the future security problems. However, these solutions should be able to stand the test of time for them to be successful. 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