Many new Internet of Things (IoT) devices and edge computing are redefining how organisations collect, process, and act on data-computing power much nearer to the source for quick responses and increased efficiency. But this has opened up a whole different level of attack surface that has not been visible until now. Unlike traditional endpoints, IoT devices or edge nodes are mostly resource-constrained, deployed in hostile, unprotected environments, and, very often, they have unattended firmware with limited possibilities for strong security controls.
Traditional perimeter security architecture fails to protect such distributed ecosystems. Enter Best, the zero trust network access framework based on the principle “never trust, always verify.” This is a scalable, context-aware, and identity-driven way of securing IoT and edge environments and, hence, enabling operational readiness and securing the future.
The Unique Security Challenges of IoT and Edge Computing
No Built-in Protection
Most IoT devices give less weight to processing and memory, and so cannot install heavy encryption, antivirus, or endpoint detection systems.
Large Attack Surface
One hundred thousand different types of IoT devices can deploy one organisation’s edge nodes, each with its vulnerabilities; most are probably placed widely and are well monitored.
Patching and Updating Never Consistent
Most IoT devices and even edge equipment are not patched, mostly because of logistical hurdles and the unavailability of support from vendors. From that point, they start getting hunted by attackers.
Network Perimeter Not Well Defined
About edge computing and IoT, there is no solid network perimeter. These days, devices communicate directly with cloud services or mobile applications, abandoning traditional firewalls.
Placement and Device Spoofing Risk
An attacker, just like spoofing, can clone the device’s IDS or intercept some credentials to access unauthorized networks or applications pretentiously using legitimate-looking end points.
Key Benefits of ZTNA for IoT and Edge Security
- Attack Surface Reduction: Isolates devices and applications from unauthorised access.
- Prevention of Device Spoofing: Ties access to a unique device identity and contextual risk factors.
- Improves Regulatory Compliance: Tracks the audit trail and enforces the policies according to standards like NIST, ISO/IEC 27001, and GDPR.
- Scalable Deployment: Grants secure onboarding and management of thousands of devices dispersed across many locations.
- Data in Motion Protection: Allows for the secure transfer of sensitive telemetry, sensor, or operational data.
- Reduces Breach Impact: Limits damage through micro-segmentation and continuous authentication.
Implementation Considerations
- Adopt lightweight agents if there are compelling advantages: Move to ZTNAs using agentless architecture or one whose agents are optimised for resource-constrained IoT devices.
- Integrate smoothly into either existing OT or IT environments: Enable communication with legacy control systems, cloud platforms, and orchestration tools.
- Set up very granular access policies: Apply policies that differentiate access based on roles, device types, locations, and time.
- Prioritise visibility: Augment with appropriate dashboards and analytics to see device activities, connections, and anomalies corresponding to those activities.
- Plan for scaling: Select ZTNA platforms that will scale up to increasing device volume and their geographic distribution.
Conclusion
Although the Internet of Things and edge computing boast great potential, they bear very complex problems of security that even the best models could not address before. Zero Trust Network Access illustrates a new framework that has the combined features of an identity-driven and context-aware securing of the distributed environments while enforcing least privilege and opportunity trust evaluation with every contact, hence cutting down the threats to a minimum. For companies investing in areas such as intelligent factories, connected health, autonomous vehicles, and intelligent infrastructures, ZTNA is a benefit and a prerequisite for implementation.
