The Internet of Things boom is continuing to grow, streamlining living and connecting people and devices like never before. Developments like Smart Grids and Smart Homes are key examples of how IoT has become a daily staple of life – and with the advent of emerging technologies such as connected and autonomous vehicles, this will only continue.

Because of this ubiquity, it is clear that cybersecurity must be a priority when designing and implementing these technologies. That’s why the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has recently released guidance on Zero trust architecture, hopefully paving the way for security to be considered primarily, as opposed to being added on as an afterthought.

Zero trust principles state that no networks or users are inherently given trusted access – instead, identity must be authenticated at every point of access, even within systems. This means that if a hacker gains access to one part of a system, other parts of the system will still be protected.

In an age of such interconnection, these principles will go a long way in preventing damaging cyberattacks. For example, if a hacker attempts to attack a Smart Home using an entry point with flawed cybersecurity, the hacker would be blocked from gaining access to other connected devices within that network.

That’s why ANGOKA is a strong proponent of zero trust architecture, and why our solutions focus on creating trust dynamically, even in untrustworthy networks.

The future of IoT and Smart technologies will extend past offerings purely for convenience, such as smartphones and some Smart Home solutions, and into more pervasive systems, like autonomous transport. While moving to a zero trust architecture may seem like a lot of hassle, using this framework and considering other cybersecurity flaws now will prevent many potentially disruptive and damaging cyberattacks in the future.