IOT: Challenges in Information Security Training

Both consumers and businesses are rapidly adopting IoT premised on convenience and control. Industry and academic literature talk about billions of embedded IoT devices being implemented with use-cases ranging from smart speakers in the home, to autonomous trucks, and trains operating in remote industrial sites. Historically information systems supporting these disparate use-cases have been categorised as Information Technology (IT) or Operational Technology (OT), but IoT represents a fusion between these traditionally distinct information security models. This paper presents a review of IEEE and Elsevier peer reviewed papers that identifies the direction in IoT education and training around information security. It concludes that the education/training still is largely distinct and is not addressing the needs of this hybrid IT and OT model. IoT is complex as it melds embedded systems and software in support of interaction with physical systems. While literature contains implementation specific research, papers that address appropriate methodologies and content around secure design are piecemeal in nature. We conclude that in the rush to find implementation specific strategies the overarching strategy around education and training of secure IoT design is not being adequately addressed. Consequently, we propose a novel approach to how IoT education training can better incorporate the topic of secure design at a foundational level