Edit

Share via

Security standards for Azure IoT Edge

  • Article

Applies to: IoT Edge 1.5 checkmark IoT Edge 1.5 IoT Edge 1.4 checkmark IoT Edge 1.4

Important

IoT Edge 1.5 LTS and IoT Edge 1.4 LTS are supported releases. IoT Edge 1.4 LTS is end of life on November 12, 2024. If you are on an earlier release, see Update IoT Edge.

Azure IoT Edge addresses the risks that are inherent when moving your data and analytics to the intelligent edge. The IoT Edge security standards balance flexibility for different deployment scenarios with the protection that you expect from all Azure services.

IoT Edge runs on various makes and models of hardware, supports several operating systems, and applies to diverse deployment scenarios. Rather than offering concrete solutions for specific scenarios, IoT Edge is an extensible security framework based on well-grounded principles that are designed for scale. The risk of a deployment scenario depends on many factors, including:

  • Solution ownership
  • Deployment geography
  • Data sensitivity
  • Privacy
  • Application vertical
  • Regulatory requirements

This article provides an overview of the IoT Edge security framework. For more information, see Securing the intelligent edge.

Standards

Standards promote ease of scrutiny and ease of implementation, both of which are hallmarks of security. A security solution should lend itself to scrutiny under evaluation to build trust and shouldn't be a hurdle to deployment. The design of the framework to secure Azure IoT Edge is based on time-tested and industry proven security protocols for familiarity and reuse.

Authentication

When you deploy an IoT solution, you need to know that only trusted actors, devices, and modules have access to your solution. Certificate-based authentication is the primary mechanism for authentication for the Azure IoT Edge platform. This mechanism is derived from a set of standards governing Public Key Infrastructure (PKiX) by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

All devices, modules, and actors that interact with the Azure IoT Edge device should have unique certificate identities. This guidance applies whether the interactions are physical or through a network connection. Not every scenario or component may lend itself to certificate-based authentication, so the extensibility of the security framework offers secure alternatives.

For more information, see Azure IoT Edge certificate usage.

Authorization

The principle of least privilege says that users and components of a system should have access only to the minimum set of resources and data needed to perform their roles. Devices, modules, and actors should access only the resources and data within their permission scope, and only when it's architecturally allowable. Some permissions are configurable with sufficient privileges and others are architecturally enforced. For example, some modules may be authorized to connect to Azure IoT Hub. However, there's no reason why a module in one IoT Edge device should access the twin of a module in another IoT Edge device.

Other authorization schemes include certificate signing rights and role-based access control (RBAC).

Attestation

Attestation ensures the integrity of software bits, which is important for detecting and preventing malware. The Azure IoT Edge security framework classifies attestation under three main categories:

  • Static attestation
  • Runtime attestation
  • Software attestation

Static attestation

Static attestation verifies the integrity of all software on a device during power-up, including the operating system, all runtimes, and configuration information. Because static attestation occurs during power-up, it's often referred to as secure boot. The security framework for IoT Edge devices extends to manufacturers and incorporates secure hardware capabilities that assure static attestation processes. These processes include secure boot and secure firmware upgrade. Working in close collaboration with silicon vendors eliminates superfluous firmware layers, so minimizes the threat surface.

Runtime attestation

Once a system has completed a secure boot process, well-designed systems should detect attempts to inject malware and take proper countermeasures. Malware attacks may target the system's ports and interfaces. If malicious actors have physical access to a device, they may tamper with the device itself or use side-channel attacks to gain access. Such malcontent, whether malware or unauthorized configuration changes, can't be detected by static attestation because it's injected after the boot process. Countermeasures offered or enforced by the device's hardware help to ward off such threats. The security framework for IoT Edge explicitly calls for extensions that combat runtime threats.

Software attestation

All healthy systems, including intelligent edge systems, need patches and upgrades. Security is important for update processes, otherwise they can be potential threat vectors. The security framework for IoT Edge calls for updates through measured and signed packages to assure the integrity of and authenticate the source of the packages. This standard applies to all operating systems and application software bits.

Hardware root of trust

For many intelligent edge devices, especially devices that can be physically accessed by potential malicious actors, hardware security is the last defense for protection. Tamper resistant hardware is crucial for such deployments. Azure IoT Edge encourages secure silicon hardware vendors to offer different flavors of hardware root of trust to accommodate various risk profiles and deployment scenarios. Hardware trust may come from common security protocol standards like Trusted Platform Module (ISO/IEC 11889) and Trusted Computing Group's Device Identifier Composition Engine (DICE). Secure enclave technologies like TrustZones and Software Guard Extensions (SGX) also provide hardware trust.

Certification

To help customers make informed decisions when procuring Azure IoT Edge devices for their deployment, the IoT Edge framework includes certification requirements. Foundational to these requirements are certifications pertaining to security claims and certifications pertaining to validation of the security implementation. For example, a security claim certification means that the IoT Edge device uses secure hardware known to resist boot attacks. A validation certification means that the secure hardware was properly implemented to offer this value in the device. In keeping with the principle of simplicity, the framework tries to keep the burden of certification minimal.

Encryption at rest

Encryption at rest provides data protection for stored data. Attacks against data at-rest include attempts to get physical access to the hardware where the data is stored, and then compromise the contained data. You can use storage encryption to protect data stored on the device. Linux has several options for encryption at rest. Choose the option that best fits your needs. For Windows, Windows BitLocker is the recommended option for encryption at rest.

Extensibility

With IoT technology driving different types of business transformations, security should evolve in parallel to address emerging scenarios. The Azure IoT Edge security framework starts with a solid foundation on which it builds in extensibility into different dimensions to include:

  • First party security services like the Device Provisioning Service for Azure IoT Hub.
  • Third-party services like managed security services for different application verticals (like industrial or healthcare) or technology focus (like security monitoring in mesh networks, or silicon hardware attestation services) through a rich network of partners.
  • Legacy systems to include retrofitting with alternate security strategies, like using secure technology other than certificates for authentication and identity management.
  • Secure hardware for adoption of emerging secure hardware technologies and silicon partner contributions.

In the end, securing the intelligent edge requires collaborative contributions from an open community driven by the common interest in securing IoT. These contributions might be in the form of secure technologies or services. The Azure IoT Edge security framework offers a solid foundation for security that is extensible for the maximum coverage to offer the same level of trust and integrity in the intelligent edge as with Azure cloud.

Next steps

Read more about how Azure IoT Edge is Securing the intelligent edge.