Managing cold chain IoT data security
Whether the scarce item was?semiconductor chips,?syringes,?COVID vaccines, or staples like toilet paper and eggs, global supply chain shortages have had a spotlight in the news since the pandemic began. As the holidays approached, pundits?wondered how these supply chain shortages?would affect this incredibly busy shopping season. But while the pandemic brought these issues to the forefront, supply chain issues, especially in the “cold chain” space, have been a problem for some time. With heightened requirements around IoT data security, there is a need for trust along every step of the supply chain.?
We’ve already looked at some of the wide-ranging use cases for?IoT devices and data analytics, including supply chain management. Simply put, organizations along the supply chain ecosystem rely on IoT sensors to provide critical information about their products.?These devices can monitor test asset performance, investigate incidents remotely, identify performance issues, plan for predictive maintenance strategies, and improve overall operating efficiency. They can track the exact location of goods and their travel speed. Using this information, companies can then use IoT data analytics to ensure their products arrive on time and in optimal condition. This can lead to significant efficiency gains and cost savings. Unfortunately, without strong IoT data security, these same technologies can expose the supply chain to risk.?
Data security and the cold chain
The cold chain involves the manufacturing, storage, and transportation of temperature-sensitive products. Along every step of this complicated ecosystem, wireless IoT sensors track and transmit conditions such as ambient temperature, humidity, and light. And, along every step of the way, there are?many concrete cold chain challenges?that can arise and threaten the integrity of the products, including mechanical failure or temperature fluctuations. This is one of the reasons that continual connectivity is so important. If a sensor detects?an instance of temperature or humidity going out of bounds, it sends a high priority alert notification that allows stakeholders to intervene and secure the product.?
But what about security???In 2020,?IoT devices made up roughly 33% of infected devices, so?it’s not surprising that top supply chain priorities in 2021 included?data protection, as well as improving security and understanding / mitigating third-party risks. For the continued safety and stability of their products, cold chain stakeholders must ensure that their connected devices, and the data they gather and transmit, are legitimate and secure. And yet?research indicates?that 98% of IoT device traffic is insecure, meaning that any personal or confidential data can be intercepted, read, or modified. IoT devices can serve as entry points for attacks that steal sensitive data, transmit false information, take control of a device’s functionality, and even compromise development and manufacturing systems. The cold chain specifically has experienced corruption at various stages of both the generation and consumption of IoT data.??
Top 3 challenges of cold chain IoT data security
As mentioned, stakeholders at every step of the cold chain need to access and analyze critical IoT data streaming in from a multitude of sensors.?These stakeholders are frequently?in different organizations and even industries, each of which has different monitoring systems and logistics processes. Furthermore, the data itself resides in separate silos and is in different formats. It’s imperative to protect the data from threats, while maximizing its value across the entire stakeholder ecosystem.
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We recently published an?infographic?with some highlights on IoT data security and the cold chain. Here, we take a closer look at some specific challenges–and possible ways to mitigate them.?
The road ahead
Because large scale IoT device networks are distributed, the architecture underpinning these networks can contain vulnerabilities and can be exploited by bad agents. Thus, the foundation of a trusted IoT environment begins with embedding?secure identities?into each device. Strong device identity provisioning protocols and trusted data exchanges secured by public key infrastructure (PKI) are critical to ensuring device authentication and addressing key IoT data security issues across the entirety of the retail supply chain.?
To find out more about how our secure identity provisioning and PKI are improving IoT device authentication and security across multiple industries, you can?read more here?or?talk to our team.