2020 November Edition 50 | Page 52

Many federal IT managers simply don ’ t have visibility into many of the IoT devices being used daily on their networks . stop light camera doing what it ’ s supposed to be doing , or is it exhibiting signs of being an information-sharing node ?

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They may not know there ’ s a problem — or where the problem ’ s coming from — until it ’ s too late .

As such , the IoT can be a particularly insidious form of shadow IT capable of significantly broadening an agency ’ s attack surface without IT managers even realizing it ’ s happening .

Taking stock of every device in use is essential .

Federal IT pros should also be able to gain a precise understanding of device behavior to ensure connected devices aren ’ t acting in a suspicious or potentially malicious manner .

For example , is the smart city ’ s

If it ’ s the latter , it ’ s time to act .

Once a device is flagged , federal IT pros will want to automatically cease any applications running on the device .

Securing the IoT is about application awareness more than anything else .

Administrators must gain a solid understanding of how apps are transmitting information to better protect their networks and data .

Creating protocols around unsanctioned devices is also a good idea .

Agency IT professionals should consider developing lists of

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