From Telit: "IoT Cybersecurity Risks are an Ever-Growing Threat – LTE Networks are the Answer"

In the faster, smaller digital age, better cybersecurity begins with smarter network solutions. For enterprise networks looking to expand their capabilities, a secure, ultra-high-speed wireless connection is just the beginning. 

Cellular technology is evolving every day to meet on-the-go mobile solutions for businesses and industries. Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is now able to reach speeds up to 1 Gbps. At LTE and mobile 4G LTE speeds, users can send and transmit crucial data instantaneously — think business reports and face-to-face video conference streaming.

By 2020, more than 40 billion devices will be remotely connected to the Internet of Things (IoT). With so many devices connected to one another moving at breakneck speeds, cyber threats, hacks, and security breaches should be treated as priority number one when choosing the right architectural framework. According to the Ponemon Institute, “the percentage of small businesses that have experienced a cyberattack in the past 12 months is up from 55% in 2016 to 61% in 2017.”

Many businesses are upgrading and integrating their wired networks with secure mobile solutions in response, but what security challenges should businesses expect to face in the coming years?

How will new high-speed improvements and technologies boost performance while bridging a secure connection between wired and wireless components in a business network?

Working Toward a More Secure IoT Framework

Q: What Industries Will Benefit from IoT Solutions in the Coming Decade?

A: The expected explosion in the number of IoT devices has the potential to open business opportunities in new and unexplored areas. Enterprises will soon rely even more heavily on IoT capabilities in their existing framework for large-scale deployment of solutions.

Industries that benefit from mobile communications include automotive and transport companies, city development, utilities, security and surveillance operations, healthcare, retail and even agriculture. 

Imagine being able to monitor your fleet or livestock health from your mobile phone while on a business trip or monitor and optimize your customers’ usage of gas, electricity, and water. IoT offers businesses, consumers, and even first-responders real-time control over their assets, travel routes, and customer service solutions at the push of a button. These crucial services will fundamentally impact the world around us.

The need for an IoT cybersecurity strategy is paramount to success.

Q: What security challenges are posed by IoT?

A: With large-scale hacks into companies, such as Facebook and Google, making headlines, there is a need to ensure that the billions of IoT devices are protected. Each device that is connected by modules and chipsets exposes vulnerable endpoints that can be exploited by malicious parties. The economic and social benefits of high-speed data transmission in devices, such as smart cars, IoT pacemakers, and body cameras, have yet to be fully realized, and hijacked devices would impede progress in annoying (at best) and dangerous ways.

Security challenges facing IoT deployments today include:

• mobile devices that have not been integrated into a network’s IT security strategy
• insecure software
• unvalidated IoT endpoints
• network connections without control systems
• loose security protocols
• lack of firewalls for multiple interfaces, such as mobile, fixed, and cloud
• lack of encryption in public and private networks
• more entry points for cyberthreats created by high data volume

Solutions as simple as password protections within an IoT framework can eliminate the ability for backdoor breaches into IoT devices.

Running a security assessment for your IoT deployment, finding a provider with an infrastructure that addresses current security risks, and adhering to IoT security guidelines are crucial steps in creating a safe IoT network.

Q: How can businesses improve IoT security?

A: The spread of IoT devices has led to a rise in low-power, wide-area network (LPWAN) options. As IoT gains in popularity across business networks worldwide, choosing the right components is crucial to securing data.

There are many hardware, software, and business-related factors that affect the safety of data:

• chips that have a set of security features
• module manufacturers that bring devices to life by connecting them to a network
• device manufacturers that put chips and modules together through a secure operating system
• carriers that provided network services
• credentials manufacturers that certify the ability to connect

Any weak link in this chain could put companies at risk against network cyberthreats and loss of integral data between two office branches.

Unsecured networks are easier to tap into. Better cybersecurity clears the path for more robust business solutions. Modules are becoming security gateways with multiple purposes in both enterprise networking and growing cellular applications.

Q: What developments are in the IoT field now, and how are they combatting cybersecurity threats?

A: Upgraded Category (Cat) cabling, secure SIM cards, and advanced modules boost performance while bridging a secure connection between wired and wireless components in a business network.

1. Ethernet category cabling helps connect modems to routers and then to any enterprise network. The technology has evolved to allow faster unity over time, with less reliance on cables altogether. With the expansion of LTE technologies, these secure, cabled connections have become faster and more diverse.
   The higher the Cat cabling number, the wider the bandwidth. With the aid of the latest antenna-based Cat 18 technology, enterprise networks will increase bandwidth across every connected device in the office with increased download speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps. Category cabling can easily be set up across legacy hardware architectures and bundled with risk-reducing software.

2. SIM cards may be older technology, but secure SIM cards and low-maintenance module-embedded SIM technology are reinforced with integrated cryptographic and on-the-go update capabilities. Mobile technology will be the key to unlocking the potential of LTE speeds. New SIM technology even gives users the ability to transfer networks across the globe without changing out the SIM card. 

3. Advanced cellular modules and LTE-mobile narrowband IoT (LTE-m NB-IoT) technologies are being designed with long-term availability in mind. They match product life cycles, reduce field support, and lower the total cost of ownership across modern, high-speed LTE networks. Mobile IoT form factor modules make it easy to connect and control devices on a larger scale and integrate customized certification and carrier approvals for added security.

Is Your Business Prepared for IoT Security Integration? | Telit

In the IoT market, establishing a standardized security protocol across connected devices should be the first step for any business or industry looking to protect their digital assets.

A global leader in IoT solutions and services, Telit is at the forefront of IoT security solutions with their broad range of ultra-high-speed solutions, including the world’s first global, full-size PIC Express Mini Card (mPCLE). The LM960 is a 23-band product that supports LTE Advanced Cat 18 and has download speeds of up to 1.2Gbps.

Learn how to enhance your IoT security with Telit’s global range of IoT solutions, such as their 4G LTE Cat 18, 11, 9, 6, 4, 1, M1, and NB1 modules, help to enhance your IoT security through strength and simplicity of design.

Source: https://www.telit.com/blog/how-secure-lte-networks-answer-iot-cybersecurity-challenges/iot-security/

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