Consumers are becoming increasingly cautious about the products they bring into their homes. This is especially true in Internet of Things (IoT): Electronics like smart thermostats, connected security systems, and voice-activated assistants. But despite the convenience these products bring, they also have surprising consequences. 1.5 billion attacks According to cybersecurity company Kaspersky, there were 10 million attacks on IoT devices in the first half of 2021 alone.
Consumers are right to be concerned about product security, and the risks to businesses are high, with a single security breach potentially resulting in financial loss and damage. Brand reputationand could even result in legal action under strict data protection laws such as those in the EU. General Data Protection Regulation.
Learn about the importance of product security to your business and best practices for creating secure and trustworthy products.
What is Product Security?
Product security includes the practices, processes, and technologies used to protect embedded devices and their associated software components from security risks throughout the product lifecycle. It ensures that physical products, such as medical devices or smart home appliances, are resistant to cyber attacks, physical breaches, and data theft. The goal is to create secure products that protect user data, maintain operational integrity, and comply with industry regulations.
What is the difference between product security and application security?
Product security focuses on hardening physical devices by protecting hardware elements, firmware, and device-specific software from cyber and physical threats. Product security teams ensure that devices such as smart appliances are tamper-resistant, have a secure boot process, and maintain data integrity throughout their operational life.
In contrast, application security (or “AppSec”) deals exclusively with software security. Software security teams focus on secure coding practices, vulnerability assessment as part of the software development process, and security testing of standalone applications such as web, mobile, and desktop apps. Unlike product security, AppSec does not address hardware vulnerabilities, but rather protects an application’s code, data processing, and user interactions from software-based security risks.
The Importance of Product Security
In our interconnected world, product security is as important as functionality and design. Here are some reasons why investing in product security is important for your business:
Protect customer data
When collected and processed by connected devices Customer DataYour customers trust you to keep their information safe. Security breaches can lead to data theft, privacy violations, identity theft, and more. Customer TrustBy prioritizing security in your product, you demonstrate your commitment to your customers’ privacy and turn them into loyal customers. Brand Ambassador Someone who values and promotes your brand.
Protect your business reputation
News of a security breach spreads around the world within minutes, and a single vulnerability can damage a company’s reputation for years. The bad publicity that comes from hacked devices and compromised operational security can be felt by: Customer churnfalling stock prices, and partnership losses.
Conversely, a reputation for building secure products can differentiate your brand and attract security-conscious customers and potentially higher-value B2B deals.
Helps you avoid financial and legal consequences
The costs of a security breach go far beyond lost revenue. Fines for non-compliance with data protection laws, lawsuits from affected customers, and the costs of remediating a breach can damage your business. Investing in product security to identify vulnerabilities early and often can help you avoid these financial pitfalls, as well as the costly process of retroactively building security into your products after a breach.
Helps ensure product reliability and longevity
If security vulnerabilities are not addressed, they can lead to malfunctions, downtime, or product hijacking by malicious actors. This is especially important in sectors such as medical, automotive, and industrial control, where security flaws can put lives at risk. Robust product security ensures that devices operate as intended, improving product reliability, longevity, and your brand’s reputation for quality.
How to improve the security of your products
- Implement a comprehensive vulnerability management program
- Employ threat modeling early in the design phase
- Implementing secure development practices
- Implement strong authentication and authorization
- Security Incident Response Planning
Improving the security of your product requires a holistic approach that addresses vulnerabilities in hardware, software, and processes. Below are five strategies to overcome common security challenges and harden your product:
1. Implement a comprehensive vulnerability management program
Modern products have many features, from firmware to Application Programming Interface (API)Manual testing makes it difficult to identify all potential vulnerabilities.
Instead, conduct regular vulnerability scans and penetration tests using automated tools that scan your entire product stack. Rapid 7 Nextpose, Zapand Nessus vulnerability scannerEstablish a vulnerability management process that prioritizes findings based on risk, then tracks, assigns, and validates remediation. This proactive approach keeps you one step ahead of attackers probing for weaknesses.
2. Employ threat modeling early in the design phase
Traditional security testing can be too slow and defects can be too expensive to fix. Product Manager Threat modeling can be difficult to tackle.
Start threat modeling early by diagramming data flows and trust boundaries in your product. Brainstorm potential attacks using frameworks like STRIDE (Spoofing, Tampering, Repudiation, Information Leakage, Denial of Service, Privilege Escalation). Engage team members using visual tools to explore chaos engineering principles like collaborative “attack our own product” sessions.
3. Implement secure development practices
Development teams may resist security measures, viewing them as an impediment to rapid development, which could result in the release of products with significant vulnerabilities.
Integrate security into every phase of the development lifecycle with frameworks such as: Microsoft SDL or Overview of OWASPSAMMInclude practices such as code review for security flaws, use of pre-approved secure libraries, static code analysis, etc. Learn how secure development practices can save you time remediating data breaches after release.
This general principle of developing products with security in mind can also be applied to non-technical products. thousand, She founded a bike helmet company with the goal of saving 1,000 lives with productive helmets. She knows that for many people, including herself, the look of the helmets currently on the market puts them off wearing them. She is determined to change that.
“For convenience, there is an anti-theft pop-lock that allows you to lock your helmet away,” Gloria says. Episode of Shopify Master Podcasts“We have MIPS Technology “Some of our products are designed with safety, style and convenience in mind.”
4. Implement strong authentication and authorization
Weak access controls, especially default or hardcoded passwords in IoT security, are a prime target for attackers, but increased security often comes at the expense of user experience.
Require strong, unique passwords or implement multi-factor authentication. Design your authentication scheme using the principle of least privilege, that is, give users only the minimum privileges necessary to perform their tasks, and nothing more. To balance security and usability, use technologies such as secure biometric authentication (for example, fingerprint or facial recognition) that increase security without complicating the user journey.
5. Security Incident Response Planning
Unfortunately, no security product is impenetrable, and for product manufacturers, especially industrial equipment manufacturers, delivering patches quickly and without disrupting operations can be a major obstacle.
To avoid being caught off guard, develop a robust security incident response plan that covers detection, containment, eradication, and recovery. Design your products with secure remote update capabilities to speed up the patching process, and consider conducting regular drills to test and improve your response times. Have clear communication protocols in place to notify customers promptly and help your company meet ethical obligations and regulatory requirements.
Product Security FAQ
What is the difference between product security and application security?
While product security focuses on protecting physical devices and their embedded software throughout their lifecycle, application security only deals with securing standalone software applications such as web and mobile apps.
How do you ensure the security of your products?
Ensure the security of your products by implementing a comprehensive vulnerability management program, employing early threat modeling, enforcing secure development practices, implementing strong authentication and authorization, and planning for security incident response.
Why is product security important?
Product security is important because it protects customer data and trust, safeguards your business’s reputation, avoids financial and legal repercussions from breaches, and ensures the reliability and longevity of your products.
