IoT-Enabled Sensors in Automation Systems and Their Security Challenges

Today, Internet of Things (IoT)-based sensor devices are ubiquitous. Being cost effective and easy to deploy, they are also considered for many applications outside their original domain, which was consumer electronics. Factory and process automation, smart buildings and homes, and, in general, Industry 4.0 are application fields in which the use of IoT technology is gaining popularity, often in addition to existing, classical communication architectures on the operational technology level. IoT devices, however, typically have a different philosophy for communication and data exchange, which makes them easy to use but poses security challenges by bypassing established security architectures, such as the classical defense-in-depth concept defined, for instance, in the IEC 62443 standard. This letter highlights today's security needs and concepts in industrial environments. Furthermore, it looks at possible new attack surfaces opened by IoT-based applications and shows ways how to bridge the security gap.