IoT Testbed Security: Smart Socket and Smart Thermostat

Abstract

Internet of Things (IoT) technology is changing the shape of our lives, however they are raising many security issues. Attackers can exploit the security vulnerabilities of IoT devices for malicious ends. Assessing the security of IoT devices is important before they are distributed to reduce the attack surface. However, the security assessment could be difficult due to the wide variety of IoT devices and their functionalities. Moreover, replicating the testing scenarios and environments can be challenging without a fully documented test scenario. The aim of this research is to design a structure for an IoT security testbed that can analyze the vulnerabilities of IoT devices. The paper provides a road map for an easy-to-setup IoT Security Testbed and a general methodology for constructing the testbed. The structure includes the hardware and software setup as well as a testcase template that standardizes test cases and ensures test replication. Moreover, a simple GUI was developed for managing the test cases, launching them and reporting their results. To showcase the feasibility of the testbed structure proposed, three test cases have been launched on a smart socket and smart thermostat followed by a discussion on assessment results.