New Layer of Defense for IoT Devices

New Layer of Defense for IoT Devices

new layer of defense for IoT devices

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A new layer of defense for IoT devices (the Internet of Things) has been announced. With Cloudflare’s Orbit, IoT manufacturers can add security on top of the individual Internet-connected devices via Cloudflare’s high-powered global network, enhancing IoT security beyond what is possible when relying solely on the security of the device.

There will be 22.5 billion IoT devices in 2021, far outnumbering PCs, and that number will continue to grow. According to techdigg.com, the new service is geared towards manufacturers of consumer -grade 107 devices. It promises to protect and implement a virtual patch of blocking connectivity from malware.

The system will offer multiple data security options, such as if verification up to full cryptographic connection signing. This will ensure that the data moving through the security is protected. In addition, you won’t have to worry about your data logs remaining in the system.

It will pass through the network.  Furthermore, Orbit security will be a stand alone product that the Internet of Things companies can use without paying for any of the other services.

In working with IoT manufacturers to develop Orbit, Cloudflare realized the usual device security model, based on the PC approach to user-installed patches, was deeply flawed, according to the company’s announcement on globenewswire.com.

Cloudflare’s Orbit provides a critical component to IoT security. With Orbit, IoT manufacturers can configure their devices to only connect to the Internet through

CloudFlare’s network. Then, if there is a security vulnerability, the IoT manufacturer can perform a “virtual patch,” across all of their devices, simultaneously. This layer of security complements on-device security and can protect the device even if it is running vulnerable or outdated code.

“The PC-era model of on-device security didn’t work very well for PCs and definitely won’t scale to protect the Internet of Things,” said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. “Cloudflare Orbit is already protecting more than 120 million IoT devices and provides a new approach to security that can scale to meet the needs of an increasingly networked world.”

With Orbit, IoT manufacturers can improve device and end-user security with real-time exploit blocking: Utilizing Cloudflare’s firewall in the cloud, Orbit catches exploit attempts, including distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, as they happen, protecting devices that are still running vulnerable code.

The new solution provides secure and authenticated data transfer and a dedicated private network: Orbit locks down the traffic of IoT devices at the network level as if each device has its own VPN, or private network, that secures it from potential attacks.

However, according to Techdigg.com, there are some setbacks to this system. For example, you won’t get centralized Internet of Things control. So what makes it complex?  first of all, the system includes routers, and they need a security boost more than any other device.

However, CloudFlare gets access to your internet connectivity and browsing data.

Only time will tell if the risks are worth it in the end.