IoT penetration testing is a security assessment of the complete IoT ecosystem, from backend systems and cloud services to mobile devices and hardware. It involves a multi-stage simulated attack on IoT devices and their supporting system to identify security risks before attackers can exploit them.

Unpatched firmware is responsible for 60% of IoT security breaches, according to the IoT Security Foundation. In 2024, Southern Water experienced a cyber incident affecting around 5–10% of its customers, exposing personal data of customers and employees. The attackers exploited an IoT-based water monitoring system running outdated firmware to gain unauthorised access to internal servers.

In 2024, an NHS Trust suffered a data breach after attackers exploited vulnerabilities in connected medical devices to access patient records, affecting thousands of patients. The attackers exploited outdated firmware in IoT-enabled diagnostic equipment to gain entry into the Trust’s network. 

According to NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), IoT security failures cost businesses an average of $330,000 per incident. The Mirai botnet turned unsecured IoT devices into an army of attack machines, launching one of the biggest DDoS attacks ever recorded, according to Kaspersky.

IoT penetration testing is characterised by end-to-end testing, multi-layer security assessment, multi-stage attack simulation, and AI integration. 

The process of conducting a successful IoT penetration test involves preparation and planning, threat modelling, reconnaissance, vulnerability assessment, exploitation, post-exploitation, reporting, remediation, documentation, and continuous improvement. The main tools used for IoT pentesting are NURSE, Wireshark, OWASP ZAP, Nessus, and Nmap. IoT penetration testing improves an organisation’s overall security posture by identifying and proactively fixing vulnerabilities to reduce financial and reputational risks.

IoT penetration testing makes IoT devices secure by identifying and fixing vulnerabilities across hardware, firmware, networks, and cloud integrations. It validates real-world attack scenarios, reduces risk, and ensures devices so that organisations remain compliant, resilient, and trustworthy over time.

What is IoT penetration Testing?

IoT penetration testing is a simulated real-world attack on Internet of Things devices and their supporting networks and applications to identify security vulnerabilities (weak passwords, insecure protocols) before attackers can exploit them. It involves a complete assessment of controls and configurations of IoT devices and evaluation of communication protocols and interfaces. Other names of IoT penetration testing are IoT pentesting and IoT security assessment.  

IoT penetration testing works by defining a clear objective and scope, and then gathering information about devices, networks, and services within IoT ecosystems. Automated vulnerability scanning is combined with manual inspection to find known and unknown vulnerabilities. The real-world impact of discovered vulnerabilities is revealed through exploitation and post-exploitation. This process ends with detailed reporting and remediation recommendations.

IoT penetration testing involves testing both hardware and software layers in an IoT ecosystem. It includes testing IoT device security, examining communication protocols, probing physical security, and evaluating mobile/web apps, network configurations, and cloud APIs. 

The main aim of IoT Penetration testing is to uncover exploitable weaknesses in IoT devices, firmware, communication protocols, and associated infrastructure. This includes both known and unknown (zeroday) vulnerabilities that could compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability, according to a 2023 study by JeanPaul A. Yaacoub, titled “Ethical hacking for IoT: Security issues, challenges, solutions and recommendations.

IoT pentesting helps organisations to assess the security posture of IoT systems through the simulation of a real-world attack scenario. It lets them understand the potential impact of a security threat and the effectiveness of existing security measures. Organisations obtain evidence of a proactive security assessment through IoT penetration testing and use it to ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations.

What are the features of IoT penetration testing? 

IoT penetration testing is a multi-layer security assessment that combines automation and AI tools to decompose the attack surface while simulating a multi-stage attack and kill chain.

Five features of IoT penetration testing are listed below.

• Multi-layer security assessment: IoT penetration testing has a broad attack surface in an IoT system. It targets software, network, firmware, hardware, cloud components, and radio interfaces. 
• Attack surface decomposition: IoT pentesters systematically map all entry points (communication protocols, cloud interactions, device interfaces) of a possible attack to perform a thorough assessment. 
• Kill Chain and Multi-stage attack simulation: IoT penetration testing uses modern frameworks (Kali Linux, Pwn tool) to simulate real-world attack chains at multiple stages. It demonstrates that attackers exploit multiple vulnerabilities across devices and networks to exploit confidential data and critical assets. 
• Automation and AI Integration: IoT penetration testing combines automated frameworks (Metasploit, AttackIQ) with AI and machine learning to make the testing process scalable and efficient. AI integration helps pentesters detect complex attack patterns in interconnected IoT systems effectively.
• End-to-End Testing: IoT pentesters perform end-to-end testing, including device-to-cloud, device-to-device, and device-to-mobile. This comprehensive evaluation helps them identify vulnerabilities resulting from component interactions.

How to perform IoT penetration testing?   

IoT penetration testing is performed by gathering information and conducting reconnaissance of the entire IoT ecosystem, followed by vulnerability scanning, exploitation, and post-exploitation analysis. Pentesters generate a detailed report with remediation suggestions.

Listed below are the 10 steps to perform IoT penetration testing.

1. Define IoT Scope, Safety & Legal Rules

IoT pentesting experts define a clear testing scope by specifying which systems, devices, and communication layers are used during testing. They identify in-scope IoT devices, out-of-scope gateways, mobile apps, communication protocols, and cloud platforms. They perform fine-tuned authorised attack vectors such as hardware, network, RF, and firmware. Pentesters obtain written consent and authorisation from the client before starting IoT penetration testing. Rules of engagement and safety constraints are documented at this step to prevent physical damage to devices, data loss, and service disruptions.

 The IoT pentesting team considers safety rules alongside regulatory and legal requirements to ensure compliance when defining the IoT pentesting scope. The team obtains approval of the scope document, which is well aligned with the business’s security objectives and meets the business’s regulatory needs.

 IoT pentesting experts follow structured threat modelling frameworks and security standards (OWASP IoT Top 10, ISO 27001, IEC 62443) during this phase.  

The IoT pentesting team begins mapping IoT assets after defining the testing scope and obtaining the client’s legal permission.

2. Map IoT Assets & Topology

Mapping IoT assets and topology refers to creating a complete inventory of the IoT ecosystem, which comprises gateways, networks, cloud services, user-facing apps, sensors, and APIs. Pentesters identify and document all connected IoT assets, communication protocols, authentication points, and trust boundaries. They visualise how data flows between all these IoT components. They create a detailed asset inventory and topology diagram highlighting device relationships, exposure points, and dependencies. 

Pentesters uncover shadow IoT devices, pinpoint high-risk paths, and get a structural foundation for targeted vulnerability analysis. Common tools used for assets and topology mapping are Nmap, Netdisco, Masscan, and network visualisation platforms. 

Pentesters start enumerating passive Radio Frequency (RF) and network interfaces after getting a clear visual of IoT assets and communication paths. 

3. Enumerate Passive RF & Network Interfaces

Enumerating passive RF and network interfaces refers to collecting information about identifying all wireless and network-based communication channels used by IoT devices without actively exploiting them. Pentesters examine real-world behaviour with minimal disruption through enumeration. IoT pentesters passively monitor LoRa, ZWave, Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee, and other RF signals. They identify open ports, services, and broadcast communication. They obtain a list of exposed protected interfaces, packet capture files, and protocol inventories from this monitoring.

 The IoT pentesting team detects unauthorised access to RF points, protocol misconfiguration, and insecure communication that attackers could exploit at this stage. The IoT pentesting team relies on passive enumeration tools such as tcpdump, Kismet, and Wireshark, as well as network reconnaissance utilities. 

The pentesting team starts firmware analysis to uncover embedded software vulnerabilities after identifying exposed network and wireless interfaces.

4. Acquire Firmware, Unpack & Perform Static/Binary Analysis

Firmware acquisition and static or binary analysis refer to the examination of IoT devices’ internal software to discover security weaknesses without code execution. The IoT pentester obtains firmware data from vendor update portals, over-the-air (OTA) mechanisms, or direct extraction from hardware, then unpacks it to analyse file systems, binaries, and configuration files. They use static analysis to uncover hardcoded credentials, cryptographic keys, logical flaws, insecure services, and outdated libraries embedded within the firmware. 

The IoT pentesting team obtains vulnerability insight, evidence of insecure design or implementation, alongside extracted firmware components during this phase. Static firmware analysis identifies critical vulnerabilities that usually persist across deployments and can lead to long-term compromise if attackers exploit them. 

IoT pentesters use tools such as Binwalk, IDA Pro, Ghidra, radare2, and the Firmware Tool Analysis Kit. They start probing into the hardware interface after discovering firmware-level weaknesses.

 5. Probe Hardware Interfaces & Debug Embedded Systems

Probing hardware interfaces and debugging embedded systems involves assessing exposed debug and communication ports that may allow an attacker to bypass software controls. IoT penetration testing experts identify hardware interfaces such as UART, JTAG, SWD, SPI, or I²C, access device consoles, and then test them for authentication bypass or privilege escalation.

 This hardware penetration testing provides an assessment of the feasibility of physical attacks, as well as evidence of memory dumps and console access. Physical access to hardware interfaces usually leads to full device compromise, especially when protection is weak. Therefore, pentesters probe hardware interfaces and debug embedded systems to address threats such as device theft, tampering, and supply chain risks. Common tools used for hardware analysis include logic analyser, JTAGulator, Bus Pirate, OpenOCD, and USBtoUART adapters. 

The IoT pentesting team continues with protocol testing after evaluating physical access risk factors.

 6. Test Protocol & Radio Communications

Testing IoT protocols and radio communications involves an active security assessment of the data transmission channels identified during passive enumeration. IoT pentesting professionals analyse protocol implementations such as MQTT, Bluetooth Low Energy, LoRaWAN, CoAP, HTTP/HTTPS, WebSockets, Zigbee, and proprietary RF protocols. These protocols are tested for common weaknesses such as misconfigurations, weak encryption, improper authentication, and replay attacks. IoT pentesters validate protocol-level vulnerabilities, insecure cipher usage, and exploitation paths affecting data confidentiality in this step. 

Protocol and Radio communication probing help pentesters identify compromised channels that an attacker may intercept, manipulate, or inject malicious commands into IoT systems. The pentesting team uses tools like Bettercap, Scapy, Burp Suite, MQTT Explorer, and RF testing platforms for testing protocols.

IoT penetration testers shift their focus to device authentication and authorisation assessments once communication channels have been analysed.

 7. Assess Device Authentication, Authorisation & Session Management

IoT pentesters evaluate how IoT devices authenticate services, users, and other devices and how authorisation and session handling are used across cloud layers, mobile apps, and devices. They review credential storage, certificate usage, role-based access controls, token handling, and session expiration mechanisms.

IoT pentesters discover vulnerabilities like privilege escalation paths, authentication bypasses, and weak session controls during this assessment. Poor identity and access management let attackers obtain unauthorised device control that enables data exposure and lateral movements across IoT ecosystems. The IoT pentesting team uses tools like JWT analysis tools, OAuth testing utilities, Burp Suite, Postman, and custom API test scripts for evaluating device authentication and authorisation.

The IoT pentesting expert continues with OTA and supply chain testing after validating access controls in IoT ecosystems.

8. Verify OTA Update Mechanisms & Supply Chain Integrity

Verifying Over the Air (OTA) update mechanisms and supply chain integrity refers to checking that firmware updates cannot be tampered with, downgraded, or maliciously injected. IoT pentesters analyse third-party dependency trust, firmware signing, version control, rollback protections, and update delivery channels. Pentesting experts find vulnerabilities such as weak supply chain controls, insecure update processes, and missing signature validation, or weak. 

Verification of the  OTA update mechanism is important because attackers use compromised mechanisms to deploy persistent malware at scale in an IoT ecosystem. Common tools used for verification are CI/CD security validation techniques, Wireshark, Kismet, and Capsa.

The IoT pentesters shift their attention to the evaluation of Sensor data flow and Cloud/API integration, once firmware integrity is validated. 

9. Evaluate Sensor Data Flows & Cloud/API Integration

The IoT pentesting team assesses how sensor data is generated, processed, transmitted, stored, and exposed through cloud platforms and API. They analyse API authentication, data validation, rate limiting, encryption, logging, and error handling across cloud services. This analysis helps the pentesting team identify risks of improper data isolation, data leakage, API abuse, and insecure storage. 

Pentesters evaluate these data flows to identify vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit. These sensor data flows are the primary target for attackers as they contain sensitive operational and personal information.  Common tools used for sensor data flow analysis include Postman, Burp Suite, cloud security scanners, and API fuzzing tools.

 The IoT pentesting team performs controlled exploitation to create a remediation roadmap after evaluating data flows.

 10. Exploit for Persistence, Backdoor Testing & Produce Remediation Report

The final stage of IoT penetration testing involves controlled exploitation of discovered vulnerabilities to determine whether an attacker can achieve persistence, maintain long-term control of IoT devices and backend systems while implanting backdoors. IoT pentesters use tools like custom exploit frameworks and Metasploit to exploit discovered vulnerabilities in the previous steps. They simulate attacks in a controlled environment to check the real-world impact of each vulnerability. 

IoT pentesters document a comprehensive report after exploitation. This report includes all discovered vulnerabilities throughout the IoT pentesting process alongside their risk ratings and impact. They add proof of concept, prioritised remediation steps, and business impact in the report to improve IoT ecosystem security posture. 

What tools are used to perform IoT penetration testing? 

IoT Penetration Testing Tools are specialised software and hardware utilities designed to identify, exploit, and validate security vulnerabilities (insecure network, weak password) in the IoT ecosystem. 

Ten tools used to perform IoT penetration testing are listed below.

• Kismet: Kismet is a passive wireless and RF network detection tool designed to analyse wireless communication without actively transmitting packets during IoT pentesting. The pentesting team uses Kismet to monitor Zigbee, Bluetooth, WiFi, and other RF protocols. This free, open-source tool runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux and supports Software Defined Radios (SDRs). This IoT stealth assessment tool is effective for hidden network detection, real-time RF visualisation, passive device discovery, and protocol fingerprinting. IoT pentesters use Kismet to detect vulnerabilities such as rogue access points, insecure IoT SSIDs, weak RF configurations, unencrypted wireless traffic, and unauthorised device broadcasts. Kismet is commonly used during the RF and network interface enumeration phase of IoT penetration testing as it mainly targets wireless IoT devices, gateways, and RF-based sensors.
• NURSE: NURSE is an IoT firmware and embedded system analysis framework designed to identify vulnerabilities within IoT device software and hardware interactions.  This open-source tool runs on Lunius and is useful in correlating firmware analysis with hardware behaviour. An IoT pentester can gain deep insight into how embedded systems operate at runtime. NURSE mainly targets firmware images, embedded binaries, and device operating systems during analysis of custom or proprietary IoT platforms. It is used during the firmware acquisition and static or binary analysis phase of IoT penetration testing. NURSE helps the pentesting team identify vulnerabilities such as weak cryptographic implementations, firmware logic flaws, hardcoded credentials, insecure system calls, and improper memory handling.
• Wireshark: Wireshark is a network protocol analyser designed to capture, inspect, and analyse network and RF traffic in real time during IoT penetration testing. Wireshark is a free and open-source tool available for  Windows, Linux, and macOS. The IoT pentesting team combines custom dissectors with Wireshark to perform deep packet inspection and protocol decoding, while analysing both standard and proprietary traffic. It mainly targets IoT network communications interactions such as device-to-device, device-to-cloud, and device-to-mobile.  IoT pentesters rely on Wireshark during the passive enumeration and protocol testing phases. Common network issues uncovered through Wireshark include insecure protocol implementations,  improper certificate usage, replay attacks, unencrypted data transmission, weak authentication exchanges, and sensitive data leakage.
• PatrIoT: PatrIoT is a specialised IoT network and device security assessment tool designed to identify misconfigurations and vulnerabilities across IoT ecosystems. An IoT pentesting team uses it as a network-based assessment platform that supports passive monitoring and active validation. This tool lets the team tailor IoT asset discovery, protocol awareness, behavioural analysis, and risk scoring specifically for connected devices. It is commonly used during the asset mapping, protocol analysis, and risk assessment phases of IoT penetration testing. PatrIoT looks into IoT devices, gateways, and backend services operating across heterogeneous networks. Therefore, it is useful for finding vulnerabilities such as outdated firmware, default configurations, weak access controls, and insecure communication protocols. PatrIOT is effective at identifying anomalous device behaviour, a clear indication of compromise in IoT deployments.
• Nmap: Nmap is a network discovery and port scanning tool used during IoT penetration testing to detect running services, exposed network interfaces, active devices, and open ports within the IoT ecosystem. This free, open-source tool provides powerful scripting capabilities via the Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE). This tool targets IoT devices, gateways, routers, and backend servers during the IoT asset mapping and network enumeration phase.  The pentesting team used it to fingerprint IoT devices, detect embedded services, and identify protocol usage even in constrained or segmented networks. Vulnerabilities identified through Nmap include outdated service versions, exposed admin interfaces, open management ports, and insecure services (Telnet, FTP, HTTP). Nmap is effective in highlighting issues that attackers exploit to get unauthorised access, leading to lateral movement within IoT networks.
• OWASP ZAP: OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy) is an open-source web application and API security testing tool used in IoT penetration testing for assessment of cloud dashboards, management portals, and REST APIs. It is a free, cross-platform tool that allows both manual and automated security testing. IoT penetration relies on ZAP’s ability to intercept and analyse API traffic of IoT devices and mobile applications. It is effective for a modern IoT ecosystem that uses web-based control panels.  The pentesting team employs OWASP ZAP during the authentication, authorisation, session management, and API security testing phase. This tool targets IoT web interfaces, cloud management portals, and backend APIs. OWASP ZAP helps detect security issues such as weak authentication flows, improper session handling, broken access controls, insecure API endpoints, injection flaws, and cross-site scripting (XSS).
• Shodan: Shodan is a search engine for internet-connected devices used in IoT penetration testing to pinpoint exposed IoT systems across the public internet. This freemium platform has paid plans to use its advanced features. This cloud-based platform runs independently of the operating system. The IoT pentesting team relies on Shodan’s capability to index real-world IoT deployments such as smart devices, cameras, routers, and industrial controllers through ports, banners, and protocol fingerprints. The team relies on Shodan during the reconnaissance and exposure assessment phase of IoT penetration testing. This tool mainly targets internet-facing IoT devices and services and allows pentesters to uncover security vulnerabilities such as default credentials, insecure services, publicly exposed IoT devices, and misconfigured cloud integrations. Shodan is effective in identifying internet-facing vulnerabilities that cybercriminals exploit for unauthorised surveillance. 
• Nessus: Nessus is a vulnerability scanner used in IoT penetration testing to identify security weaknesses across IoT devices, their operating systems, and supporting infrastructure. It supports Windows, macOS, and Linux. This vulnerability scanner scans embedded operating systems and network services for known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures/CVEs. This tool scans IoT gateways, embedded Linux devices, network services, and backend systems. Pentesters use Nessus during the vulnerability identification and risk assessment phase because it helps them identify vulnerabilities like insecure services, missing security patches, known firmware flaws, and outdated libraries. 
• Burp Suite: Burp Suite is a web and API security testing platform used in IoT penetration testing for communication and interaction analysis between cloud services, mobile apps, and IoT devices. It has both free and paid versions. It has a powerful interception proxy that allows IoT pentesters to manipulate API requests, tokens, and payloads used by IoT ecosystems.  Pentesting teams use it during the authentication, session management, API security, and cloud integration testing phase, since it targets IoT APIs, cloud services, and mobile app backends. This tool is effective in finding issues like insecure session handling, parameter tampering, data exposure, API authorisation bypass, and token reuse. 
• Metasploit: Metasploit is an exploitation and post-exploitation framework designed to validate discovered vulnerabilities and assess real-world attack impact. IoT pentesters use both open-source and commercial editions of this framework during the controlled exploitation, persistence testing, and impact validation phase. This tool runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS. This exploitation tool unlocks extensive exploit modules, payloads, and post-exploitation capabilities tailored for embedded systems and network services. The IoT pentesting team validates vulnerabilities such as remote code execution, privilege escalation, weak service configurations, and insecure firmware services through this tool. Metasploit probes into IoT devices, firmware vulnerabilities, network services, and backend systems, and lets the team demonstrate persistence, backdoor feasibility, and overall risk severity of each vulnerability.

How much does it cost to perform IoT penetration testing? 

The cost to perform IoT penetration testing typically ranges between £6,000 and £60,000+. A simple pentest on a single IoT device costs around £6,000–£9,000, while the cost of testing multiple devices is somewhere between £12,000–£25,000. IoT penetration testing cost for large environments like industrial systems or healthcare IoT is more than £50,000 to £60,000+.

The factors affecting the cost of IoT penetration testing include scope and number of IoT devices; the depth of assessment (firmware reverse engineering, RF analysis); the complexity of firmware/hardware design; and the communication protocols and RF technologies in use (MQTT, CoAP, Zigbee). Additional factors contributing to the overall cost of IoT penetration testing are compliance and regulatory obligations, remediation support, and physical access requirements (device teardown, onsite testing).

How much time does it take to perform IoT penetration testing? 

It takes 2 to 10 weeks to perform IoT penetration testing. Simple IOT device testing takes 2 to 3 weeks, while complex IoT device testing usually requires 6 weeks. Penetration testing for a single component, like firmware or a mobile app, takes less than 2 weeks. Full IoT ecosystem penetration requires more than 8 weeks.

Three main factors affecting the time requirement for IoT penetration testing include the number of IoT devices, the complexity of the overall IoT architecture, and the depth of testing required. Basic assessment focuses on network exposure or cloud security takes 1 to 2 weeks, while comprehensive testing involving static/dynamic analysis, firewall extraction, hardware interface proving, RF/protocol testing, and controlled exploitation takes 8 to 10 weeks. Factors that increase the timeline for conducting IoT penetration testing include the need to test multiple communication technologies, compliance requirements, the use of custom firmware, physical access to devices, retesting, and remediation validation. 

What are the benefits of IoT penetration testing for organisations?

IoT penetration testing helps organisations identify and fix vulnerabilities, maintain regulatory compliance, build customer trust and improve the incident response of their IoT ecosystem. 

Eight benefits of IoT penetration testing for organisations are listed below.

• Identify and fix vulnerabilities: IoT penetration testing helps organisations uncover security weaknesses across IoT devices, network, APIs, cloud platform and firmware. The attack surface of IoT includes hardware, firmware, wireless communications, and physical access points. Organisations identify security issues before attackers and fix these issues to reduce the risk of data breaches, large-scale compromise, and device hijacking.
• Meet regulatory compliance: Organisation deploying IoT devices must comply with regulations such as the UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, and the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) Act. IoT Penetration testing helps organisations comply with data privacy regulations like GDPR and HIPAA by assessing security against standards. An IoT pentest keeps all connected devices and personal data in the IoT system safe and well-protected, thereby fulfilling legal requirements.
• Ensure Information Privacy: IoT pentesting ensures that data is securely transmitted, stored and accessed across the complete IoT ecosystem. Thereby, it reduces the risk of data privacy violations and maintains information privacy under the UK data protection laws.
• Improve Incident Response: IoT penetration testing improves the incident response capability of an organisation by simulating a real-world attack on an IoT system and testing its response and alert capability. Organisations understand how systems respond to threats and make the recovery process and response planning faster and more effective for a real security incident.
• Build Customer Trust: IoT penetration testing demonstrates a commitment to security and responsible data handling, thereby building customer trust. Customers and partners expect businesses to provide secure and reliable IoT products, so pentesting meets these expectations and helps organisations maintain long-term customer relationships.
• Maintain Business Continuity: IoT penetration testing maintains business continuity by reducing downtime risks through early identification of security weaknesses. This early threat detection lets the organisation proactively fix vulnerable entry points that hackers can exploit to disrupt business operations. 
• Preserve Business Reputation: IoT penetration testing preserves business reputation by preventing security incidents that often lead to regulatory penalties and loss of market confidence. A security breach of IoT devices usually causes long-term reputation damage if customer data or privacy is violated.
• Reduce Financial Impact: IoT pentesting reduces the financial impact of a breach, including product recalls, fines under the UK GDPR (Up to £17.5 million or 4% of global turnover; whichever is higher), legal costs, service downtime, and lost revenue. The cost of IoT pentesting is comparatively lower than these potential losses. Investment in IoT pentest brings ROI in the form of money saved by preventing costly breaches and enabling secure business growth through improving overall security posture. 

How frequently should IoT devices be penetrated? 

IoT devices should be penetrated at least annually or after significant changes to IoT systems. Regular, on-time pentesting helps keep IoT devices more secure by enabling organisations to proactively identify vulnerabilities and adjust security controls as devices evolve. 

Organisations should plan IoT pentests at regular intervals to prevent backdoor disks, reduce attack surface, maintain strong authentication and data protection, while validating secure update mechanisms. This regular pentesting makes IoT devices more resilient while reducing the probability of large-scale compromise over time.

IoT devices are physical objects embedded with software, sensors, connectivity, and processing capabilities that let them collect, send, and receive data over the internet or private networks without continuous human intervention. It is important to secure IoT devices because any compromise of such devices leads to sensitive personal and operational data exposure, disrupts essential services, and enables unauthorised remote control. Insecure IoT devices serve as entry points into larger networks, causing regulatory violations, large-scale breaches, and significant reputation and financial damage for organisations, customers, and stakeholders.

What are the main IoT security risks?

IoT security risks are potential threats and vulnerabilities arising from weaknesses in connected devices, communication channels, hardware interfaces, firmware, and supporting cloud or API infrastructure. 

Listed below are the five most common IoT security risks.

• Weak or Hardcoded Credentials: Many IoT devices still use default, weak, or hardcoded passwords and usernames. Attackers can exploit these easy-to-guess passwords online to get unauthorised access and control over IoT devices.
• Insecure Network and Data Communication: Many IoT devices lack secure data transfer and storage practices, such as encryption. Therefore, attackers can easily intercept, read, or modify sensitive information that travels through insecure networks.
• Insecure APIs and Cloud Interfaces: Attackers gain unauthorised access to devices, data, or backend systems if IoT systems rely on insecure APIs and cloud platforms for management and data processing.
• Outdated or Unpatched Firmware: Outdated or Unpatched firmware of IoT devices makes them vulnerable to known security flaws that become an easy target of cybercriminals for long-term exploitation.
• Lack of Device Integrity: Attackers install malicious software on IoT devices that don’t have adequate protection (secure boot, firmware validation). Cybercriminals turn unprotected IoT devices into a botnet to maintain persistent access while disrupting services.

How to make your IoT devices secure?

Listed below are five ways to make your IoT devices secure.

• Set a strong password: Always set a strong, unique and difficult-to-guess password and two-factor authentication TFA across all IoT devices because cybercriminals exploit weak or default passwords in IoT devices and get access to the overall IoT ecosystem. 
• Enable Data Encryption: Enable data encryption protocols (HTTPS, TLS) to safeguard data transmission between IOT devices and other network components. Data encryption secures the data transmitted over the web and makes it indecipherable to hackers who may attempt to intercept it.
• Restrict network access: Secure IoT devices by restricting network access through firewalls and network segmentation. This restriction ensures that one compromised area won’t disrupt the whole IoT ecosystem, in case of a breach.
• Implement hardware security: Implement hardware-level security measures such as secure boot procedures and hardware-assisted encryption. Secure booting stops malicious code from running while protecting IoT devices from firmware updates. Hardware encryption maintains the security of sensitive data and information.
• Examine Third-party Integrations: Examine third-party services (cloud platforms, voice assistants) and integration as they might introduce vulnerabilities in your overall IoT ecosystem, if not properly assessed. Due diligence about vendors and their compliance verification is essential to maintain the security of IoT. 

IoT penetration testing plays a major role in maintaining the safety and security of IoT devices by proactively identifying vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. IT helps organisations validate real-world attack scenarios, ensure compliance and maintain trust and long-term resilience in IoT ecosystems. 

What are the best practices for performing IoT penetration testing?

Nine best practices for performing IoT penetration testing are listed below.

• Eliminate weak and hardcoded credentials: Pentesters should eliminate default, weak, and guessable passwords from devices, APIs, and cloud services. It’s better to get rid of exposed admin accounts and missing credential rotations. 
• Secure ecosystem interfaces: IoT pentesters should perform comprehensive tests on APIs, mobile apps, web dashboards, and cloud integrations to identify issues related to authentication, authorisation, and data exposure.

• Protect data in transit and at rest: Data should be protected during transit and at rest by validating encryption strength, certificate handling, key management, and secure storage across device and backend layers.
• Enforce proper authorisation controls: Enforce proper authorisation controls by preventing unauthorised device controls, and through verification of role-based access and privilege separation.
• Harden device management capabilities: IoT penetration testers should harden device management capabilities through a comprehensive assessment of firmware update processes, device lifecycle controls,  OTA mechanisms, and configuration management.
• Ensure device integrity: The Pentesting team must verify secure boot, firmware signing, and resistance to malware or unauthorised code execution.
• Reduce attack surface exposure: Pentesters should reduce attack surface exposure by identifying issues like open ports,  insecure network configurations, debug interfaces, and unnecessary services.
• Strengthen physical security controls: IoT pentesters must look into exposed hardware interfaces and physical tampering risks to maintain physical security controls for devices in public and remote locations.
• Assess insider and privilege misuse risks: The pentesting team assesses insider threats and privilege misuse risks by monitoring unauthorised users and third-party vendors while validating access management and logging.