IIoT is the hot topic for the new era of technology, Industry 4.0. What is IIoT? Since we know IoT is the Internet of things, then IIoT is “Industry Internet of Things”! So what does IIoT do in this new era? IIoT application system frameworks mainly rely on traditional industrial infrastructures. It endeavors to enhance the production efficiency of industries such as smart manufacturing, smart transportation, remote maintenance, and intelligent logistics, etc. Unlike, Iot, which aims to make life easier and more convenient by allowing gadgets to connect with one another. IIoT, on the other hand, is limited to the industrial sector.
Figure 1.0
Let’s take a look at the evolution of IIoT. It comes from Radio-frequency identification (RFID), to Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), to Internet of Things (IoT) and to Industry Internet of Things (IIoT). From this evolution, there will be a lot of obstacles and vulnerabilities. For instance, our topic today, the security breach that is likely to happen. Let’s go in depth into our topic.
Although I mentioned there are security concerns, IIoT has a lot of advantages given that it contributes a lot for the growth of the industry revolution. Despite all of the advantages of adopting IIoT, IoT security issues represent one of the biggest challenges. First and foremost, there are 3 layers of architecture of IoT, which respectively are the perception layer, the network layer, and the application layer.
Figure 1.1
As per Figure 1.1, each layer has its own enabling technologies and unique features. Thus, this section discusses the challenges IIoT applications encounter when applying security requirements in industrial environments. The perception layer receives physical attack, impersonation, dos attacks, routing attacks, and data transit attack. The network layer would have problems regarding data confidentiality, integrity, and authentication. The application layer mainly receives distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS) attacks, HTTP floods, SQL injections, cross-site scripting, parameter tampering, and Slowloris attacks. Regardless of what the threats are, it still is an obstacle for IIoT to make a big impact on Industry 4.0. Neshenko et al. provide a much more thorough study of IoT vulnerabilities and attacks, but do not relate these to security requirements. Nevertheless, we can see that the familiar topics of authentication and access control, assurance, and confidentiality return implicitly throughout the text. The threats described by many experts include problems such as false data injection, improper patch management, and improper encryption.
But don’t worry yet! Every problem will always have a solution to it. Introducing Fog Computing. Fog Computing is a new paradigm that closes the gap between Cloud Computing (CC) and IoT by diffusing services and resources on the path between IoT environments and CC.
Figure 1.3
What are the advantages of Fog Computing?
- Security requirements and challenges encountered in IIoT environments are highlighted. The Internet of Things (IoT) aims to make life easier and more convenient by allowing gadgets to connect with one another. IIoT, on the other hand, is limited to the industrial sector.
- Solutions based on AI to these security challenges are thoroughly investigated. This suggests that the investigation extends beyond simply identifying problems; it also includes a thorough study of potential remedies. The options under consideration in this scenario are based on Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI technologies, such as anomaly detection, threat intelligence, and adaptive security measures, can be used to improve security in a multitude of ways.
- Opportunities and challenges for the secure deployment of IIoT devices at the edge are presented. This remark implies that the analysis includes the deployment of IIoT devices at the network’s edge. Instead of depending entirely on centralized cloud servers, edge computing involves processing data closer to the source (at the network’s edge). The emphasis is not just on the benefits of placing IIoT devices at the edge, but also on the challenges of guaranteeing security in these distributed systems.
Meanwhile, the requirements are satisfied by devices and fog computing:
- System performance enhancement. This aspect emphasises that the usage of edge and fog computing, as well as AI-based security solutions, is not only for security reasons, but also to improve overall system performance. The system might potentially run more effectively and responsively by processing data closer to the source and employing AI for intelligent decision-making.
- Data security and privacy protection. This statement emphasises the significance of protecting the security and privacy of data generated, processed, and sent in IIoT contexts. Measures must be put in place to secure sensitive information from unauthorised access and to comply with privacy rules as AI solutions are integrated and edge devices are deployed.
- Operational cost reduction. This statement emphasises the significance of protecting the security and privacy of data generated, processed, and sent in IIoT contexts. Measures must be put in place to secure sensitive information from unauthorised access and to comply with privacy rules as AI solutions are integrated and edge devices are deployed.
Figure 1.4
Let’s take a look at what Industry Internet of Things (IIoT) are used in. Firstly, Big data analytics, the process of examining and analyzing large and complex datasets to uncover hidden patterns, correlations, and insights. Secondly, Enterprise systems, known as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, are integrated software applications, are used by businesses to manage and streamline their business processes across numerous divisions. Thirdly, information and communications technology (ICT), a broad term that encompasses information and telecommunications technologies. Fourthly, industrial informatics which focuses on the use of information systems, data analytics, and communication technologies to optimize and enhance industrial processes, automation, and decision-making. And lastly, Data Management. All of the above applications have their own security concerns, and there are ways to address it.
Figure 1.5
To conclude this, we have to understand that the importance of IIoT is highly emphasises in reshaping industrial processes as well as the security challenges it faces. It implies that, while security threats exist, solutions such as fog computing and AI-based approaches offer promising avenues to overcome these challenges and fully realise the potential of IIoT in Industry 4.0.