Report by NIST recommends on overcoming challenges of IoT security

The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published a report outlining the risks posed by IoT devices and measures to be taken to overcome them.

The report says IoT device manufacturers and integrators could find it useful for understanding concerns regarding managing cybersecurity and privacy risks for IoT devices. It is a part of NIST’s Cybersecurity for the Internet of Things program to support the development and application of standards, guidelines, and related tools to improve the cybersecurity of connected devices and the environments in which they are deployed.

NIST Cybersecurity Framework is a voluntary set of standards, guidelines, and best practices to manage cybersecurity-related risk. It sets out a prioritized, flexible, and cost-effective approach which helps to promote the protection of critical infrastructure and other sectors important to the economy and national security.

NIST is also developing a document, Considerations for Managing Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity and Privacy Risks (NISTIR) to help IoT users protect themselves, their data and their networks from potential compromise.

“The report was mainly for any organization thinking about security on the level of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework,” says Mike Fagan, a NIST computer scientist and one of the authors of the report.