IoT Solutions

The Top 10 IoT Security Tools

Our shortlist of the top IoT tools. Compare features such as device identification, vulnerability scanning, over-the-air patching, behavior monitoring, and encryption.

Last updated on Apr 30, 2024

Written by Caitlin Jones

Technical review by Laura Iannini

The Top 10 IoT Security Tools include:

1. Armis Agentless Device Security Platform
2. Asimily
3. AWS IoT Device Defender
4. Azure Sphere
5. Entrust IoT Security
6. Forescout Platform
7. Microsoft Defender for IoT
8. Nozomi Networks Vantage
9. Palo Alto Networks Enterprise IoT Security
10. Verizon IoT Security Credentialing

Internet of Things (IoT) and operational technology (OT) devices improve productivity and streamline business operations. IoT devices (such as printers, security cameras, smart lighting, virtual assistants, and even coffee machines) connect to the corporate network via Wi-Fi. IT teams can manage them remotely and gain insights that can help improve business operations. However, IoT devices also expand an organization’s attack surface, unless protected with a robust IoT security tool.

IoT devices produce data of their own, and often have access to sensitive data and critical systems in other areas of the network. But IoT devices are much more difficult to secure than traditional endpoints. Most sensor-based devices, for example, have minimal computing resources, and therefore cannot install typical forms of protection such as antivirus software or encryption. IoT devices also often have poor access controls, security scans can cause sensitive devices to crash, and traditional tools often don’t provide visibility into peer-to-peer wireless connections.

This makes them more vulnerable to attack than traditional endpoints. If an IoT device is compromised, it can be used by threat actors as an entryway from which they can move laterally to other areas of the network, where they can access more critical devices and data.

Managing IoT devices using traditional network security tools can be challenging—so, the best way to secure your IoT devices is by implementing a dedicated IoT security tool. In this article, we’ll provide our shortlist of the best IoT security tools. We’ll give you some background information on the provider and the key features of each solution, as well as the type of customer that they are most suitable for.

Armis Agentless Device Security Platform

Armis’ Agentless Device Security Platform enables businesses to identify, monitor, and secure all managed and unmanaged assets in their environments. The agentless platform leverages your existing infrastructure to identify all assets—including IoT devices—in your environment, classifying them by device type, manufacturer, model, and more. One discovered, Armis conducts real-time risk and vulnerability assessments, generating reports on real-time device behavior. Admins can compare those reports with crowdsourced baselines to help identify malicious activity. When a threat is detected or a policy violated, admins can choose from a variety of in-built response options, including quarantining devices.

Armis’ Agentless Device Security Platform is cloud-based, and easy to deploy, without the need for additional hardware installations. It’s also easy to manage, thanks to its intuitive web-based interface, responsive customer support, and the Armis University, which offers on-demand product training. Because of this, Armis is a great option for SMBs and enterprises looking for an effective yet easy-to-use IoT security tool. Its agentless scanning makes Armis a particularly strong solution for organizations using IoT devices that don’t have the computational capacity to support traditional agents, or are sensitive and may crash as a result of a security scan.

Asimily

Asimily is a comprehensive IoT security platform that specializes in medical and laboratory devices. The platform discovers IoT devices and classifies them using over 100 attributes. It also provides insights into the relationships between devices, including which devices are communicating internally or externally, and over which ports and protocols. Asimily creates a baseline of expected behavior for each device, before scanning them in real-time for misconfigurations, attacks, zero-day vulnerabilities, and anomalous behavior.

When it detects issues, Asimily’s forensic analysis module can analyze all traffic to and from devices to identify the root cause. The platform also carries out simulations to understand how an attacker could exploit found vulnerabilities. It provides a risk score that indicates which vulnerabilities need immediate remediation, based on criticality and likelihood of exploitation. Finally, Asimily enables admins to carry out risk assessments on devices they’re considering purchasing and recommends secure configurations and device hardening practices to help prevent threats before they materialize.

Asimily offers cloud, on-prem, and hybrid deployment options, enabling it to integrate with most infrastructures. The platform offers in-depth insights into the security status of IoT devices and provides valuable recommendations on how to remediate issues and prevent future threats. Overall, we recommend Asimily as a strong tool for healthcare organizations looking to monitor and secure medical equipment.

AWS IoT Device Defender

AWS IoT Device Defender is Amazon’s IoT security management solution. With AWS IoT Device Defender, admins can configure security controls such as authentication and authorization. The platform continuously audits the security posture of IoT devices to identify deviations from these controls, such as the use of devices and protocols with known security weaknesses, and unauthorized access. The platform also uses machine learning to analyze historical device data, enabling it to identify anomalous behavior such as credential abuse or unusual spikes in connection attempts. AWS IoT Device Defender alerts admins to suspicious activity via their preferred AWS console, and admins can take in-built mitigation actions such as updating certificates or quarantining devices.

AWS IoT Device Defender has a user-friendly interface and intuitive alert system, which notifies admins about any security issues or policy deviations in real-time, enabling them to mitigate threats quickly and effectively. It integrates seamlessly with AWS’ other IoT tools, including IoT Core, which collects security metrics, and IoT Device Management, which enables admins to remotely troubleshoot devices, e.g., deploying patches or rebooting—to provide comprehensive IoT management and security capabilities. Overall, we recommend AWS IoT Device Defender to small and mid-market organizations, and particularly those already leveraging other products in AWS’ security stack.

Azure Sphere

Azure Sphere is an IoT security tool that enables businesses to secure and manage their existing IoT devices, as well as build and secure new smart devices. Azure Sphere monitors connected devices for vulnerabilities and indicators of compromise. If it detects an issue, the platform reports it to admins via its cloud-based analysis system. The platform automatically rolls out patches and updates over-the-air. Azure Sphere also enables device authentication by linking device identities to their hardware so they can’t be impersonated by a remote attacker. Additionally, the solution supports passwordless authentication via digital certificates and signed tokens, reducing the risk of device compromise.

A cloud-based solution, Azure Sphere is quick to deploy within any cloud environment—not just Azure. It should be noted that the platform’s powerful capabilities do come with a learning curve; as such we recommend Azure Sphere for mid-market organizations and large enterprises with IT resource that’s experienced in IoT management. Its support for creating new devices also makes Azure Sphere suitable for organizations looking to build their own smart devices to meet their specific use case, or manufacturers of smart devices looking to provide their customers with added security.

Entrust IoT Security

Entrust IoT Security is a tool designed to protect IoT and OT devices by applying machine and user identity management. The platform assigns each IoT device a unique digital identity, based on a secure, encrypted public key infrastructure, which enables each one to be authenticated before establishing a connection with the wider network. Entrust IoT Security also offers end-to-end encryption between IoT devices and the cloud, ensuring the integrity of data collected by IoT sensors, and offers on-demand, over-the-air software updates to minimize the risk of vulnerability exploit.

Entrust IoT Security deploys relatively quickly and easily in the cloud, and can scale to cover any number of devices. The platform provides high-performance, comprehensive identity and vulnerability management for IoT devices, while still being easy to use. Overall, we recommend Entrust IoT Security for mid-market organizations and large enterprises looking for a way to securely authenticate, update and remotely patch their IoT devices.

Forescout Platform

Forescout continuously secures and ensures the compliance of all managed and unmanaged devices on a network—including IT, IoT, and OT devices, following zero trust principles . The Forescout Platform automatically discovers all devices as soon as they connect to the network and classifies them according to device function and type, OS and version, and vendor and model. The platform then automatically segments devices based on this classification, enforcing least-privilege access to ensure devices can only access areas of the network they need, and minimizing the lateral movement of threats. Forescout then continuously monitors devices for vulnerabilities (e.g., outstanding software/hardware updates or weak credentials), as well as assessing their communication and activity patterns for high-risk behaviors.

The Forescout Platform is a very intuitive solution. It provides complete visibility and protection, while still being easy to navigate and manage. The platform is also highly scalable, having been proven to support over 2 million devices and scale over a thousand locations. Because of this, we recommend Forescout to mid-market organizations and larger enterprises looking to secure a large IoT device fleet—among other assets—in line with the principles of zero trust and least privilege.

Microsoft Defender for IoT

Microsoft Defender for IoT enables organizations to identify, manage, and secure their IoT and OT devices. The platform uses agentless network monitoring to identify and inventory IoT devices, along with information such as their protocols, communication, and backplane layouts. Once inventoried, the platform uses IoT-aware threat intelligence, machine learning, and behavioral analytics to identify vulnerabilities and behavioral anomalies in real-time. When vulnerabilities are discovered, Microsoft Defender for IoT prioritizes them according to risk, highlighting the most likely attack paths that could lead to a compromise.

Microsoft Defender for IoT can be deployed easily on-premises, in a hybrid environment connected to Azure cloud, or as a fully cloud-managed platform. The platform is easy to manage, and offers integrations with Microsoft 365 Defender and Microsoft Sentinel, as well as other third-party SIEM, SOAR, and XDR tools, enabling organizations to unify their IT and IoT threat intelligence feeds for ease of management and reduced noise. Overall, we recommend Microsoft Defender for IoT as a strong solution for any sized organization looking to secure the IoT device fleet, and particularly those already using 365 Defender or Sentinel.

Nozomi Networks Vantage

Vantage is Nozomi Networks’ combined IoT and OT security management platform. The platform automatically discovers and visualizes all IoT devices and their relationships with one another, with the option for admins to drill down into contextual data such as IP and MAC address, type, serial number, firmware version, and components. Vantage continuously monitors devices to assess and prioritize risks and vulnerabilities, and presents its findings in graphic reports. The platform offers behavior-based anomaly detection and signature-based threat detection, and pre-defined playbooks to help guide remediation efforts in the event of a security issue or breach. These include suggested solutions as well as an explanation of possible causes, to help prevent a repeat incident.

Vantage offers built-in integrations with other third-party IT and security tools, including SIEM, ticket management, asset management, and identity management solutions. The platform supports a broad range of IoT and OT protocols, and delivers comprehensive visibility into those devices once deployed. The platform is intuitive and navigable, with a highly graphical interface that makes it easy to find specific information quickly. Overall, we recommend Nozomi Networks’ Vantage as a strong IoT security tool for any sized organization looking to delve deep into their IoT security data.

Palo Alto Networks Enterprise IoT Security

Palo Alto Networks’ Enterprise IoT Security solution enables organizations to implement zero trust security principles across their IoT devices. The platform automatically discovers all IoT devices and uses ML technology to profile them, with details such as type, vendor, model, and over 50 other attributes. Enterprise IoT Security then monitors all devices 24/7 for common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs) and abnormal behavior so that admins can quickly identify and investigate malicious activity and compliance deviations. Enterprise IoT Security also enables admins to segment their IoT from the rest of the network with granular segmentation policies that prevent attacks from spreading laterally. These include least privilege policy recommendations to speed up policy creation.

Enterprise IoT Security is cloud-delivered, making it quick and relatively easy to deploy across any architecture without the need to make changes to the network. The platform integrates seamlessly with Palo Alto Networks’ other cloud-delivered security services for coordinated threat intelligence and protection, including malware and web threat protection, vulnerability remediation, and the triggering of their next-gen firewall (NGFW) for dynamic threat isolation. As such, we recommend Palo Alto Networks’ Enterprise IoT Security for mid-market and large enterprises, and particularly those already utilizing Palo Alto’s NGFW or Prisma solutions.

Verizon IoT Security Credentialing

Verizon’s IoT Security Credentialing solution enables organizations to ensure that only trusted and authenticated IoT devices can connect to their network and access corporate resources. The platform offers bulk provisioning of security credentials to IoT devices to ensure maximum security on deployment, as well as on-demand provisioning when needed. When a device wants to access the network, the platform validates its certificate to ensure that only authentic firmware, applications, and configurations are granted access. IoT Security Credentialing also offers embedded data encryption to protect IoT device data.

Verizon’s solution is easy to implement and easy to manage, with strong technical support and product documentation available. The platform focuses on credentialling, rather than vulnerability management; as such, it doesn’t offer the threat detection capabilities of some of the other solutions on this list, but it manages device authentication and data encryption very well. As such, we recommend Verizon IoT Security Credentialing for small and medium-sized businesses looking for a user-friendly yet capable IoT authentication and encryption tool.

IoT Security Tools: Everything You Need To Know (FAQs)

What Are IoT Devices?

IoT devices are hardware devices that connect wirelessly to a network (usually via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth). They interact with the physical world in some way—e.g., via a sensor or camera—and have the ability to share the data they collect with other systems, devices, and applications on that network, and they can be monitored and controlled remotely.

There are three main types of IoT device: consumer, enterprise, and industrial:

Consumer IoT devices are generally used in the home; they include things such as smart TVs, speakers, and watches, personal assistants, and coffee machines.
Enterprise IoT devices are designed to be used in a business setting to improve operational efficiency and productivity. Some examples of enterprise IoT devices include security cameras, smart locks, smart thermostats, and smart lighting.
Industrial IoT devices are designed for use in industrial environments. They send data to admins or technicians remotely, informing them of anything that goes wrong so that they don’t have to make two separate trips to first diagnose any problems, and then fix them. This can save a lot of time. In manufacturing, for example, smart sensors might be used to monitor the efficiency of an assembly line and predict downtime caused by the replacement of parts; in healthcare, on the other hand, smart monitors might be used to measure a patient’s heart rate or blood pressure.

What Are The Main IoT Security Challenges?

There are five main security challenges that organizations must confront when utilizing IoT devices within their network:

IoT devices tend to have poor authentication and access controls—they’re often manufactured and deployed with a common default password that makes them vulnerable to brute force and password compromise attacks.
Most IoT devices, particularly sensor-based devices, don’t have the computing resource required to run security software such as antivirus or encryption tools.
Running security scans can cause sensitive IoT devices to crash. If the device in question is a coffee machine, that downtime may just be an inconvenience; if it’s a remote patient monitor, it could threaten the life of a patient.
Traditional security tools often don’t provide visibility into peer-to-peer wireless traffic, or corporate devices connected to other networks. They may also struggle to monitor the behavior of IoT devices for anomalous activities.
If they’re not updated or patched effectively, IoT devices are vulnerable to exploitation. Because of this, they’re increasingly being used in botnets—groups of inter-connected devices that are infected by malware that enables a threat actor to control them remotely. Botnets are usually used to steal data, send spam, or carry out Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. The Mirai botnet (aka “Dyn” attack), the Xbash botnet, the Dark Nexus, botnet, and the Mozi botnet have all been known to infect and “recruit” IoT devices including printers and IP cameras.

In order to secure your organization against cyberthreats, you need to ensure that all of your devices are properly protected—and that includes your IoT devices. Implementing a strong IoT security tool can help you overcome these challenges and prevent your IoT devices from being compromised by cybercriminals.

What Features Should You Look For In An IoT Security Tool?

There are a few features that you should look out for when comparing IoT security tools:

Device discovery. In order to provide maximum visibility into your IoT devices, your chosen IoT security tool should automatically discover and inventory all networked devices. This will help you identify any unauthorized devices that could indicate compromise, or simply that a user has connected a device that may be unsecure.
Updates and patching. Any strong IoT security solution should be able to monitor the device’s hardware and software for vulnerabilities, usually via an agent-based system. When a vulnerability is detected, the solution should also administer patches and updates to prevent them from being exploited.
Data encryption. It’s important that you check that your chosen solution offers a range of protocols that are compatible with the devices you need to secure. The best IoT security tools encrypt data at rest and data in transit between the device and back-end systems. Some IoT devices don’t have the hardware capacity to support standard encryption protocols—in this case, you may need a solution that uses signatures to ensure data hasn’t been modified in transit before it’s stored in a more permanent data base.
Authentication and access management. IoT security solutions authenticate the identities of any employees before allowing them to use an IoT device, as well as authenticating the device before establishing a connection between it and other areas of the network—this is usually done via two-factor authentication and digital certificates. You should also be able to easily create, manage, and update strong passwords for all the IoT devices on your network.
You should be able to see which services and applications each IoT device has access to across the network. The best IoT security solutions enable you to segment your IoT devices from the rest of the network and apply zero trust access policies that only allow secure, authorized connections between IoT devices and the rest of the network. This helps prevent the lateral spread of attacks should a device be compromised.
API security. Most IoT security tools use REST APIs to authorize and authenticate the movement of data between your IoT devices, back-end systems, and other applications across the network.
Data analytics. Some IoT security tools offer machine learning-powered data analytics to help you identify threats across your IoT device fleet. They aggregate and normalize the data generated by IoT devices, and monitor that data for anomalous or non-compliant activity. These capabilities are still relatively new, so not all solutions will offer this.

Note that not all IoT security tools will offer all of these features; some may focus on device discovery and topography mapping; others on vulnerability management; others still on device authentication. It’s important that you assess your organization’s security needs and work out which features are most important to you, before you start to compare solutions.

How Else Can You Secure Your IoT Devices?

As well as investing in a robust IoT security tool, there are a few other steps that you can take to ensure the integrity and security of your IoT devices. The first two steps come before purchasing the devices themselves. First, you should look for ones with secure connectivity protocols and relatively low data throughput, such as LoRaWAN (long-range wide-area network). These protocols are widely used in large IoT installations and are secure by design, making them suitable for an enterprise use case.

Second, you should check whether the device manufacturer has a vulnerability management or bug bounty program. If they do, that means that they actively search for vulnerabilities within their devices and may offer support in updating devices when an issue arises. If they don’t, you’ll have to make sure that your chosen security tool offers robust vulnerability management and patching capabilities.

Finally, once your IoT devices are connected, you need to ensure that legitimate users can connect to them only from within your network. You can do this by configuring your firewalls and routers to block external traffic.

Caitlin Jones

Deputy Head Of Content

Caitlin Jones is Deputy Head of Content at Expert Insights. Caitlin is an experienced writer and journalist, with years of experience producing award-winning technical training materials and journalistic content. Caitlin holds a First Class BA in English Literature and German, and provides our content team with strategic editorial guidance as well as carrying out detailed research to create articles that are accurate, engaging and relevant. Caitlin co-hosts the Expert Insights Podcast, where she interviews world-leading B2B tech experts.

Laura Iannini

Cybersecurity Analyst

Laura Iannini is an Information Security Engineer. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity from the University of West Florida. Laura has experience with a variety of cybersecurity platforms and leads technical reviews of leading solutions. She conducts thorough product tests to ensure that Expert Insights’ reviews are definitive and insightful.