How can you ensure vulnerability scans for IoT devices are effective?

1 Choose the right scanner

Not all vulnerability scanners are compatible with IoT devices, which may have different architectures, protocols, and firmware than traditional IT systems. You need to choose a scanner that supports the specific types of IoT devices you have, and that can perform both authenticated and unauthenticated scans. Authenticated scans use valid credentials to access the device and perform a deeper analysis, while unauthenticated scans simulate an attacker's perspective and identify exposed services and ports. You also need to check the scanner's accuracy, speed, and scalability, and how well it integrates with your existing security tools and processes.

2 Configure the scan settings

Before you run a scan, you need to configure the scan settings according to your goals, scope, and risk tolerance. You need to define what devices you want to scan, how often you want to scan them, and what level of detail you want to get from the scan results. You also need to adjust the scan intensity, which determines how aggressively the scanner probes the devices and how much bandwidth it consumes. A high-intensity scan may provide more information, but it may also disrupt the device's functionality or performance, or trigger false alarms. A low-intensity scan may be less intrusive, but it may also miss some vulnerabilities or generate false negatives. You need to find the optimal balance between the scan intensity and the scan impact, depending on the criticality and sensitivity of your IoT devices.

4 Remediate and verify the vulnerabilities

Once you have validated and prioritized the vulnerabilities, you need to remediate them as soon as possible, before they are exploited by attackers. You need to apply the appropriate patches, updates, or configurations to your IoT devices, or implement compensating controls or mitigations if the vulnerabilities cannot be fixed. You also need to verify that the remediation actions have successfully resolved the vulnerabilities, and that they have not introduced new issues or side effects. You need to run a follow-up scan to confirm that the vulnerabilities have been eliminated or reduced, and that your IoT devices are secure and compliant.