Future-Proofing IoT Security: Expert Strategies for a Safer Connected World

The Internet of Things is reshaping everyday life and industry alike, but its security posture remains uneven and, in many cases, absent.

To protect the rapidly expanding IoT ecosystem, we need a unified set of security standards. Identity‑based public‑key cryptography offers a sector‑agnostic baseline that can be applied from smart homes to critical industrial systems, according to Roderick Hodgson, director of Secure Chorus.

During the recent ETSI Security Week in Sofia Antipolis, France, I spoke as director of Secure Chorus, a not‑for‑profit organization that sets thought leadership and industry‑wide standards for cyber‑security.

Across the board, IoT cyber‑attacks are surging 600 % annually. Commercial and industrial electronics, utilities, medical, automotive, and transportation sectors are the most exposed as they lead IoT adoption.

IoT is not merely a device; it is a framework that embeds connectivity and intelligence across diverse equipment, enabling real‑time data collection and reaction. Coupled with cloud computing, analytics engines, and big‑data platforms, IoT fuels unprecedented innovation but also magnifies the impact of state‑sponsored attacks, economic shutdowns, and large‑scale chaos.

As the number of connected devices grows—especially within critical national infrastructure (CNI) such as nuclear, aviation, and essential services—cyber‑security has become a top priority for manufacturers, adopters, regulators, and nation‑states.

The IoT landscape faces four key security challenges:

1. The sheer volume of devices requiring protection far exceeds traditional IT environments.
2. Devices vary widely: from low‑power, low‑bandwidth solutions to high‑compute, high‑speed networked systems.
3. Deployment contexts differ in processing capability, use case, network topology, and physical location.
4. Many devices now form part of safety‑critical systems that directly impact health and security.

Simultaneous authentication and security challenges in IoT can be resolved through identity‑based public‑key cryptography, which ties cryptographic keys directly to a device’s identity.

When combined with a Key Management Server (KMS), this approach scales across the wide device spectrum and establishes trust that transcends individual system boundaries.

Secure Chorus’s Secure Chorus Compliant Products (SCCP) deliver:

• Data security – End‑to‑end encryption protects every data‑processing step.
• Data ownership – A KMS gives the system owner full control over security.
• Identity‑based cryptography eliminates costly, complex credential‑distribution infrastructure, enabling large‑scale deployment.

For low‑power devices and critical infrastructure alike, identity‑based public‑key cryptography delivers the required balance of security and efficiency.

MIKEY‑SAKKE is one such protocol, providing robust authentication, key distribution, and revocation across varied deployment scenarios. Secure Chorus and its partners have adopted MIKEY‑SAKKE as an open standard, enabling interoperable multimedia communication solutions.

Author: Roderick Hodgson, Director, Secure Chorus

About the author

Roderick Hodgson is a technologist and innovation strategist overseeing all technology at Secure Chorus, responsible for technical strategy and external representation.