Threats and Security Aspects for Intelligent Systems

Globally, embedded products are being rapidly transformed from stand alone devices operating independently to becoming sophisticated social machines controlling more and more of our critical systems. The energy grid, oil and gas systems, transportation, public utilities and medical devices are a few examples. Intelligent Systems today have the ability to communicate with us, expanding our ability to communicate and share information, but they also communicate with each other. It is this rapid growth in Intelligent Systems and the interconnections among devices and systems which brings along with it an increase in security threats.

Each day we learn of incidents where seemingly sophisticated systems get compromised. Former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden exposed top secret documents which led to revelations about U.S. government surveillance on phones and internet communications. Also, as reported by the Syrian Electronic Army, they claim to have hacked the Twitter and Facebook accounts of President Barack Obama. The “hacktivist” group, a collective of attackers supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said it modified the links appearing in posts on Obama's social media accounts.

We are still very early in the number of Intelligent Systems connections being deployed globally and yet we see example after example of devices and systems being compromised every day, either in an actual hack or in a proof-of-concept attack. The Intelligent System industry is experiencing exponential paced growth, especially growth in connectivity, and along with this growth the industry has to move swiftly to put into place measures that will allow more secure M2M communications. According to McAfee, approximately 55,000 new malware programs are uncovered every day and that new forms of attacks and exploits arrive daily: all driven by the new wave of connected devices

What are some of the most common security threats?

What is a Computer Virus?

A virus is a small program which alters the way the computer operates without permission or knowledge of the user. Viruses are a type of malware, when executed, self-replicate by inserting copies of itself (possibly modified) into other infected file.

Trojan Horses

A Trojan horse, or Trojan, is a hacking program that is a non-self-replicating type of malware which gains privileged access to the operating system. Trojan horses are files that appear to perform a desirable function but are malicious in nature. Trojans contain malicious code, that when triggered cause loss or theft of computer data. For the Trojan horse to spread, the user “invites” the program onto their computer. The most common way this happens is by opening an e-mail attachment which contains a Trojan horse.

Zero Day Attack

A Zero Day attack, or threat, is an attack that exploits a previously unknown vulnerability in a computer application. Zero-day attacks are so named because there were zero days of awareness of the vulnerability. This means that the developers have had zero days to address and patch the vulnerability. Web browsers are a particular target because of their widespread distribution and usage. Attackers can also send e-mail attachments, which exploit vulnerabilities in the application opening the attachment.

Denial of Service or Distributed Denial of Service

Denial of Service (DoS) attack or a DoS attack can be perpetrated in several ways.

·       Loss of computational resources, such as bandwidth, memory, disk space, or processor time.

·       Configuration information, such as routing information lost or disrupted.

·       Disruption of state information, such as unsolicited resetting of TCP sessions.

·       Physical network components impacted.

·       Interrupted communications media between the intended users and the victim so that they can no longer communicate adequately.

How Do Computer Viruses Work?

The purpose or function of the virus varies. Some viruses are programmed to damage the computer by damaging programs, deleting files, or reformatting the hard disk. Other times, the virus performs some type of harmful activity, such as stealing hard disk space or CPU time, accessing private information, corrupting data, displaying political or humorous messages on the user's screen, spamming their contacts, or logging their keystrokes.

Not all viruses carry a destructive payload or attempt to hide themselves — the defining characteristic of viruses is that they are self-replicating computer programs which install themselves without the user's consent.

Types of computer viruses include:

·      File Infector Viruses – These infect program files such as .com and .exe files

·      Boot Sector Viruses - These infect the boot record and cause the system to not boot

·      Master Boot Record Viruses – Save the legitimate copy of the master boot record in a different location

·      Multipartite Viruses – Infect the boot records and program files

·       Macro Viruses – These viruses affect data files and are the most common

Intelligence System Design

When designing secure Intelligent Systems it is important to note that no single solution protects you from all threats. You will need multiple layers of hardware and software security at all levels of the stack. There are intrusion points everywhere along the stack and you should understand the risks at each point because it only takes one single weak entry point to compromise the whole infrastructure.

Intelligent Systems security components include:

·       Anti-virus and anti-spyware

·       Firewall, to block unauthorized access to your network

·       Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), identify fast-spreading threats, such as zero-day or zero-hour attacks

·       Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), to provide secure remote access

·       Hardware Encryption on the main processor

·       Secure Embedded Elements

·       Operating Systems

·       Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMS)

·       Secure data storage (e.g., Trusted Platform Module

How to Protect Intelligence Systems

So how are Intelligent Systems different to protect than a mobile handset? Intelligent Systems are usually remotely deployed and operate alone unchecked for long periods of time. The whole idea behind a remote connected device is for it to report from an obscure location without a human being around. An example would be compromising a remote cellular system and removing the SIM card, stealing it and using it for other purposes.

Intelligent Systems edge devices are typically less sophisticated and less protected. By design they are using processing technology that is lean, seeking to maximize battery life and keep costs of the solution down. To keep the costs down the use of sophisticated operating systems may not be deployed, minimizing system memory. Lastly, smaller microcontrollers may not have the horsepower, or the battery budget isn’t large enough to perform encryption algorithms. A Denial of Service (DoS) attack on a remote device will cause the systems to operate beyond its normal duty cycle, causing the system to consume its battery energy well ahead of the normal duty cycle projections causing an interruption of service between the device and what it was designed to communicate with. 

Unlike mobile devices where we receive updates to our computer and smartphones for security patches and updates, many Intelligent Systems are not designed with the necessary hardware to perform over the air updates, and honestly, the mindset to send patches to remote devices is really in its infancy.

Assessing Security and Risk for an Intelligence System

One way to determine your security needs is to perform a security and risk assessment on your products and services. A security analysis begins with a threat model created by enumerating the threats, vulnerabilities, and assets in the context of the full system. A formal risk-driven approach is then used to guide decision making for where additional security controls may be required, and what parts of the system contain the greatest security risk. Designing, developing and implementing an effective security assessment and company objectives are complex, requiring leadership and ongoing sponsorship from executive management to succeed. Developing a security plan requires the involvement and commitment of business unit managers, process owners, finance managers, risk and compliance officers, as well as the IT and security management teams.

To be successful in preventing ongoing security threats, the designers must view security of the complete platform, rather than a piece meal approach, considering security at every level in the stack. Assessing the needs at multiple levels:

·       Hardware level

·       Operating system

·       Communications middleware

·       Data Storage

·       Application Level

In addition to approaching the system from a designer’s perspective, you must also assess the system from the other constituent viewpoints such as the manufacturer, end user, and operator of the equipment as examples.

At the hardware level there are choices the designer can make. Technologies like trusted boot, virtualization, trusted delivery, encryption, and others can augment the effectiveness of the operating system.

The choice of an operating system is one of the more critical choices the designer can make when designing for security. The operating system and connectivity stacks must comply with the most up to date security features required by the industry in which you are seeking to sell into and they must be certified against market segment validation suites.

With the proliferation of connected devices and the need to have “Apps” to interface with these devices, securing the application needs to be developed from the start, with security in mind. Everything from setting up the SSID of an 802.11 device to how the user logs in with a password has to be thought out. And let’s not forget the testing teams within the enterprise who need the tools and to be trained to test the devices and applications effectively.

As we look ahead, the suppliers who build a solid solution leveraging core strengths and security will be the big winners in the M2M space. ABI Research shows that the Global Market for M2M network security will be worth $752 million by the end of 2017. This includes revenue for transmission security, physical security, and service level agreements. 

We are on the edge of an exciting time in which M2M has the potential to transform the way we live, work, communicate, and interact and making these communications be secure is essential. Changing the perspective about the importance of security in today's embedded designs is essential to addressing security threats before they become pervasive in nature. Taking a systematic approach to security and utilizing cyber-certified components and software will help shorten the design cycles and decrease the overall security risks.