Outlining technologies and methods to address potential threats, as well as how to implement them, The GSMA IoT Security Guidelines published today by theGSMA also establish the need for risk assessment of all components of an IoT service to ensure they are designed to securely collect, store and exchange data and successfully mitigate cybersecurity attacks. The Guidelines recently completed a thorough industry consultation with academics, analysts and other industry experts to ensure that they are as robust as possible.
IoT Security Guidelines have been designed for all players in the IoT ecosystem including IoT service providers, IoT device manufacturers and developers.
The project has received the backing and support of the mobile industry including mobile operators AT&T, China Telecom, Etisalat, KDDI, NTT DOCOMO, Orange, Telefónica, Telenor and Verizon and vendor and infrastructure partners 7Layers, Ericsson, Gemalto, Morpho, Telit and u-blox.
“As billions of devices become connected in the Internet of Things, offering innovative and interconnected new services, the possibility of potential vulnerabilities increases,” said Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer, GSMA.
“These can be overcome if the end-to-end security of an IoT service is carefully considered by the service provider when designing their service and an appropriate mitigating technology is deployed. A proven and robust approach to security will create trusted, reliable services that scale as the market grows.”
The GSMA IoT Security Guidelines has been developed through the GSMA Connected Living programme.
The programme is designed to help operators accelerate the delivery of new connected devices and services in the M2M market. It focuses on driving industry collaboration, promoting appropriate regulation and optimising networks to support the growth of M2M in the immediate future and the IoT in the longer term.
The research and conclussions have been developed in consultation with the mobile industry and offers IoT service providers and the wider IoT ecosystem practical advice on tackling common cybersecurity threats, as well as data privacy issues associated with IoT services.
“There is a significant amount of evidence to suggest that cyberattacks are already happening in the burgeoning IoT space. If not handled appropriately, these attacks are likely to inhibit the growth and stability of the Internet of Things,” commented Don A. Bailey, Founder and CEO, Lab Mouse Security. “It is imperative that the industry adopts a standard approach for dealing with security risks and mitigations, helping to ensure that the entire IoT ecosystem will not be subject to fraud, exposures of privacy, or attacks that affect human life.”
“As technology evolves and adapts to the new opportunities that will be realised through connected things and objects, it will be the consumer who ultimately determines which products and services are successful. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of security vulnerabilities and threats to their own digital identity and consumer protection will be a key consideration for adoption of IoT services. Orange welcomes these guidelines and recommendations from the GSMA, and sees them as a crucial for helping to define the security ecosystem that the industry must deliver to build consumer trust and confidence, and that protection of their digital identity and presence on the internet is inherently part of the solution they purchase,” said Mari-Noëlle Jégo-Laveissière, Senior Executive, Innovation, Marketing and Technologies, Orange
“To allow the Internet of Things to take off on its predicted trajectory, security and privacy must be adopted throughout the ecosystem and built-in from the start. These guidelines will help both start-ups and established companies to implement security and privacy into their processes in order to provide secure services and products, ” said Jimmy Johansson, Information Security and Privacy Officer, Telenor Connexion
“The Internet of Things presents great opportunities to create value for businesses and consumers but the interconnection of heterogeneous systems and technologies increases the chance of exposing areas of vulnerability. The GSMA IoT Security guidelines compiles best practice recommendations for service development which if adopted will minimize opportunities for malicious exploitation and in turn will reassure market confidence and facilitate mass adoption. At Etisalat we look forward to use them when creating new or enhancing our existing IoT service offering,” Angel David Garcia Barrio, VP M2M, Etisalat explained.
Image over the headline.- © GSMA.
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