Protecting IoT Devices: Panasonic’s Innovative Approach
Introduction
The Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized the way we live and interact with technology. With the proliferation of connected devices, from home appliances to industrial sensors, our lives have become more convenient and efficient. However, this digital transformation also comes with significant security risks. For over a decade, IoT devices have been plagued by security issues and unpatched vulnerabilities, which have led to the creation of botnets, governmental surveillance, and widespread network breaches.
In an effort to improve the security of IoT devices, Panasonic has embarked on a five-year project to collect and analyze data on how their products are attacked. At the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, Panasonic researchers presented their strategy for enhancing IoT defenses based on this project. What sets Panasonic apart is their use of their own products, including home appliances and other Internet-connected devices, to create traps that lure attackers. By doing so, Panasonic can capture malware strains and analyze them, providing valuable insights into the latest threats.
Astira: Panasonic’s Threat Intelligence Framework
Panasonic has named their efforts to track threats and develop countermeasures as Astira, which draws inspiration from the Buddhist demigods known as “asura” and “threat intelligence.” Astira’s insights are incorporated into the IoT security solution called the Threat Resilience and Immunity Module (Threim), designed to detect and block malware on Panasonic devices.
In an analysis of Panasonic products running ARM processors, the malware detection rate using the ASTIRA honeypots was an impressive 86 percent for 1,800 samples. This highlights the effectiveness of Panasonic’s approach in identifying and mitigating IoT security threats.
Central to Panasonic’s strategy is the integration of malware detection and defense into their devices. Unlike many other manufacturers, Panasonic does not solely rely on firmware updates to address security issues. While patching vulnerabilities through updates is essential, end users often fail to properly install them, leaving devices susceptible to attacks. As a result, Panasonic combines shipping patches with built-in malware detection, providing a more comprehensive security solution.
Furthermore, Panasonic believes in maintaining control of their security solutions to avoid sharing trade secrets with external organizations. By developing their own out-of-the-box solutions, they can ensure a reasonable level of security for each product and protect the proprietary information housed within the devices themselves.
The Need for Collaboration and Education
While Panasonic takes responsibility for developing and providing security solutions for their products, they acknowledge the importance of collaboration with third-party security providers. By fostering strong partnerships, they can stay up to date with emerging threats and leverage external expertise to enhance their security measures.
It is also crucial to address the lack of user awareness and education regarding the importance of installing updates on embedded devices. Panasonic emphasizes that proper education is necessary to empower end users to take proactive measures in securing their IoT devices.
However, Panasonic recognizes that relying solely on end users to install updates is not always feasible. Therefore, their integrated approach, encompassing both patches and built-in malware detection, ensures that devices remain protected even if updates are not installed promptly or automatically.
The Benefits of Panasonic’s Approach
Panasonic’s innovative approach to IoT security brings several benefits and advantages:
- Improved Defense: By using their products as honeypots, Panasonic can capture and analyze malware, enabling them to develop effective countermeasures and enhance the security of their devices.
- High Detection Rate: The analysis of Panasonic products resulted in an impressive 86 percent detection rate for 1,800 malware samples, showcasing the efficacy of their Threat Resilience and Immunity Module.
- Lightweight Solutions: Panasonic’s anti-malware features are lightweight and do not affect the capacity of the devices themselves. This ensures that security measures can be implemented without compromising the performance of the IoT devices.
- Trade Secret Protection: By developing their own security solutions, Panasonic can keep the internal workings of their devices as trade secrets. This approach allows them to maintain control over their security strategy while still providing robust protection against threats.
Expanding Threat Intelligence Capabilities
Panasonic’s Astira framework and integrated security solutions represent a significant step towards improving the overall defense status of IoT devices. However, it is essential for the industry as a whole to embrace and expand threat intelligence capabilities.
Independent security researchers have long criticized the black-box security model employed in IoT devices, as it relies on obscurity rather than transparency. While Panasonic’s approach certainly provides valuable insights and security measures, it is important to continue advocating for openness and collaboration in the IoT security landscape.
Expanding threat intelligence capabilities involves:
- Sharing Insights: Panasonic’s willingness to share their findings and collaborate with other companies sets a positive example for the industry. By compiling a broader view of the latest threats across products, manufacturers can collectively improve their defenses against evolving malware.
- Engagement with Ethical Hackers: Collaborating with ethical hackers and independent researchers can help identify vulnerabilities and potential exploits in IoT devices. This proactive engagement can assist in developing more robust security measures and staying one step ahead of malicious actors.
- User Education: Educating end users about the importance of installing updates and taking active measures to secure their IoT devices is crucial. Simple steps, such as regularly changing default passwords and configuring network settings, can significantly enhance the security of connected devices.
Conclusion
Panasonic’s innovative approach to IoT security demonstrates their commitment to protecting their customers and their devices from emerging threats. By leveraging their own products to collect threat intelligence, Panasonic has developed an effective strategy that combines shipping patches with integrated malware detection. This comprehensive approach addresses the challenges associated with user negligence and ensures devices remain secure throughout their lifecycle.
While Panasonic’s efforts are commendable, it is essential for the entire industry to embrace collaboration, transparency, and user education. By expanding threat intelligence capabilities and actively engaging with ethical hackers, manufacturers can collectively enhance the security of IoT devices and mitigate the risks associated with the ever-evolving threat landscape.
Summary
The Internet of Things (IoT) devices have faced security issues and vulnerabilities for years, leaving them susceptible to attacks and exploitation. Panasonic has taken an innovative approach to enhance IoT defenses by tracking threats and developing countermeasures through their Astira framework. By using their own products as honeypots to lure attackers, Panasonic captures malware strains and analyzes them to gain valuable insights into the latest threats. Their integrated security solution, Threim, combines firmware patches with built-in malware detection to provide comprehensive device protection. Collaboration, education, and expanding threat intelligence capabilities are vital for the industry to address IoT security challenges effectively. As the IoT landscape continues to evolve, manufacturers must prioritize security for their products and work together to ensure a safer digital environment.
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Internet of Things devices have it has been plagued with security issues and unpatched vulnerabilities for more than a decade, fueling botnets, facilitating government surveillance, and exposing institutional networks and individual users around the world. But many manufacturers have been slow to improve their practices and invest in raising the bar. At the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas today, Panasonic researchers presented the company’s strategy for improving IoT defenses based on a five-year project to collect and analyze data on how the company’s own products are attacked. company.
Researchers use Panasonic home appliances and other Internet-connected electronic devices manufactured by the company to create traps that lure attackers from the real world to exploit the devices. In this way, Panasonic can capture current malware strains and analyze them. Such IoT threat intelligence work is rare from a legacy manufacturer, but Panasonic says it would like to share its findings and collaborate with other companies so the industry can start compiling a broader view of the latest threats across products. .
“The attack cycles are getting faster and faster. And now the malware is getting more complicated and complex,” says Yuki Osawa, Panasonic’s chief engineer, who spoke to WIRED ahead of the conference through an interpreter. “Traditionally, IoT malware is pretty simple. What we fear most is that some kind of next-generation and more advanced malware is also targeting IoT. So it’s important to protect [against] malware even after shipping the product.”
Panasonic calls its efforts to track threats and develop countermeasures Astira, a portmanteau of the Buddhist demigods known as “asura” and “threat intelligence.” And Astira’s insights are incorporated into the IoT security solution known as the Threat Resilience and Immunity Module, or Threim, which works to detect and block malware on Panasonic devices. In an analysis of Panasonic products running ARM processors, Osawa says, the malware detection rate was around 86 percent for 1,800 malware samples from ASTIRA honeypots.
“We use the technology to immunize our IoT devices as well as protect humans from Covid-19 infection,” says Osawa. “These anti-malware features are built-in, require no installation, and are very lightweight. It does not affect the capacity of the device itself.”
Osawa stresses that the ability to push patches to IoT devices is important, a capability that is often lacking in the industry at large. But he points out that Panasonic doesn’t always see firmware updates as a feasible solution to deal with IoT security issues. This is because, from a business point of view, end users are not properly educated about the need to install updates on their embedded devices, and not all updates can be delivered automatically without user input.
For this reason, Panasonic’s approach combines shipping patches with integrated malware detection and defense. And Osawa emphasizes that Panasonic sees it as the manufacturer’s responsibility to develop a security strategy for its products rather than relying on third-party security solutions to defend IoT. He says that this way, vendors can determine a “reasonable level of security” for each product based on its design and the threats it faces. And he adds that by implementing their own out-of-the-box solutions, manufacturers can avoid having to share trade secrets with outside organizations.
“The manufacturers themselves have to be responsible for developing and providing these security solutions,” says Osawa. “I’m not saying we’re going to do everything ourselves, but we need to have strong collaboration with third-party security solution providers. The reason why we make it integrated is that inside the devices there are secrets and we don’t have to open it. We can keep it in a black box and we can still provide security as well.”
Developing threat intelligence capabilities for IoT is a crucial step in improving the defense status of devices overall. But independent security researchers who have long criticized IoT’s black-box security model through obscurity may take issue with Panasonic’s strategy.
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