Secure Hardware Solutions for IoT Devices

Enterprises are experiencing a significant increase in cyber-attacks and malware that compromise devices and their security. To address this issue, Microsoft has taken considerable action to develop an end-to-end IoT solution called Microsoft Azure Sphere that protects IoT devices from evolving threats.

A Introduction about Microsoft Azure Sphere

There are billions of connected devices worldwide, and the number is growing. The International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that by 2025, there will be approximately 41.6 billion connected devices. Many of these connected devices are powered by small chips called microcontrollers (MCUs). Like the human brain, MCUs act as the brains of the devices that store data, hosting the computing and operating systems on the devices. Besides, to protect these MCUs from cyber attacks, devices, software, and the cloud should be integrated into a secure solution. That's where we need an end-to-end IoT device security platform like Azure Sphere.

Microsoft provides secure connectivity from the chip to Azure Sphere OS all the way to the cloud because of its Microsoft expertise in hardware, software, and cloud technologies. It brings together Azure-certified MCUs, defense-in-depth for Azure Sphere OS, and over-the-air (OTA) updates from Azure Sphere Security Services to protect your devices from evolving threats.

Protect Your IoT Ecosystem with Azure Sphere

You can securely develop IoT solutions and connect to the cloud by using Azure Sphere. In addition, Azure Sphere allows you to build your solution on any cloud platform, whether private or public. It doesn't require any specialized personnel to securely connect your devices because it uses OTA updates to keep your connected devices up-to-date and secure. To protect IoT devices, Microsoft has considered seven different attributes. Let's take a look at them in detail.

Seven Attributes of Azure Sphere for Protecting IoT Devices

The recent increase in security threats against connected devices has led companies to adopt security measures like Azure Sphere to protect their IoT devices from attacks like the MIRAE botnet, which takes full command and control of servers, Xbash attacks for weak passwords and unpatched vulnerabilities, and Muhstik self-installation and infection of Linux servers.

New threats are evolving every day, so protecting your IoT devices becomes critical. Many companies are working to protect their IoT devices. With years of experience and research, Microsoft has found that these attributes can be used for end-to-end protection of IoT devices. 

Hardware Root of Trust

Single-use hardware makes it safer and harder for attackers to crack devices. It can detect when an attack is likely and how to mitigate it.

Defense in Depth

The lack of security stems from having only one layer of defense. A mistake in the design can sometimes lead to security risks. We cannot predict threats; therefore, multiple security measures are needed. Other reasons for the lack of security include the load and cost it creates on the processor.

Small Trusted Computing Libraries

A Trusted Computing Library (TCB) includes the software and hardware used to build a stable operating environment, which ensures the security of the system. It should be as small as possible because less code means fewer errors. This helps to reduce attacks.

Dynamic Compartments

The compartment is protected by hardware boundaries to prevent any damage to the software compartment. It provides additional protection in the software and hardware stacks to create a layer of defense. For example, you can use an operating system process or a standalone virtual machine as an isolation zone.

Certificate-Based Authentication

You don't need password-protected devices; passwords are questionable and vulnerable to hacking or theft. Certificates cannot be forged or stolen. In addition, devices can be tracked for damage, and necessary actions can be taken.

Fault Reporting

Automatic fault reporting sends information when a device has been hacked, or an attack has been attempted on it. In addition, it will detect defects in the software.

Updatable Security

As more and more security threats are discovered, the software is constantly updated with new versions. Updates are provided to the cloud, and the software will apply that update to keep the system up to date to prevent the device from being vulnerable to attacks.

Any organization can use these seven attributes to ensure that they meet their security measures. Meeting all seven attributes can be challenging; to do so, you can leverage Azure Sphere. Azure Sphere summarizes all of these attributes for protecting your IoT devices and keeping you on the leading edge of secure IoT development. Companies will be able to move from smaller IoT development to large-scale development with the help of end-to-end security. So, to address these security threats, you will be able to focus on larger IoT goals that will benefit your business and increase productivity.