Overview : IoT Security Testing
IoT Security Testing Methodology
Approach to IoT Security Testing
There are target size considerations that pentesters need to understand. The scope is the limitations and restrictions. The requirements for penetration testing provide details on the requirements of pentesting for the product. Therefore, the tester needs to know the scope and prepare accordingly using the scope during step one of IoT security testing.
In this stage, the tester identifies the possible means by which an attackers could gain unauthorized access. The method consists of studying the hardware, software, and communications of the device to identify potential avenues of attack. Additionally, this step goes beyond identifying vulnerabilities. The act of developing an architecture diagram provides a visual reference of the system components and relationships. Security experts look for ways to mitigate exposure to weaknesses, and the architecture diagram helps provide clarity.
After understanding the attack surface, the next step is vulnerability assessment and exploitation. Testers will exploit the flaws identified previously, simulating real-world cyberattacks to assess exposure and risk. Attackers can introduce weaknesses in unsafe communication protocols, such as I2C, SPI, or JTAG, to corrupt hardware or reverse engineer firmware or software. Other issues may result from hard-coded sensitive values or weak data storage protection. This phase validates what the impact was based on these vulnerabilities, and helps craft the appropriate mitigations.
The last activity is documentation and reporting, where testers usually include a comprehensive report that summarizes findings, impacts, and methods of exploitation. Testers include both technical and non-technical perspectives, along with proof of concepts, demos, and code snippets. The report provides actionable recommendations that not only fix existing vulnerabilities, but also secure the device itself. In some circumstances a follow up assessment may be needed to confirm fixes are effective, and not introducing new vulnerabilities.
Benefits
- Enhancing security measures
- Reducing operations cost
- Achieving customer centricity
- Using smart devices
Types of IoT Security Testing
IoT Penetration Testing
Security assessors identify and exploit security vulnerabilities in IoT devices using a security testing methodology called IoT penetration testing. IoT penetration testing assesses security in IoT devices in a real world scenario. For security penetration testing we mean real world examination of an entire IoT system not just the device or software.
Threat Modeling
The systematic approach taken by threat modeling is to identify and catalogue potential risks (e.g., gaps in defenses or absence of defenses) and prioritize security mitigations. Threat modeling provides the defense force/security team with an itinerary for security controls proportionate to the threat environment, with respect to the security controls rget systems.
Firmware Analysis
Realizing that firmware is software, just like a program or application on a computer, is probably one of the most important ideas to understand. The only difference is that firmware is this software used on embedded devices, which are tiny computers doing a specific job: an embedded device could be a smartphone, a router, or even a heart monitor.
