The Impact of I o T Devices on Network Trust Boundaries

Abstract

The growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) market today owes much of its success to the increasing conveniences the combinations of devices can provide to consumers. One factor that is too often minimized is the impact of the individual IoT devices on the security posture of the network. Traditionally system trust boundaries have been defined statically. As IoT devices creep into enterprise networks, neither the traditional trust boundary definition nor the modified definitions for networks with wireless components are sufficient. Trust boundaries need to address every potential communication path of the included devices, as well as all of the potential networks the devices will attempt to connect to. Developing upon the understanding built while assessing how to include an IoT device as a trusted component of the enterprise network, the system owner then has to address the more complex portion of the IoT evolution: untrusted devices.