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Standards

Jan
04
2023
Cyber Security General News IoT Standards Uncategorised

Well folks, we just completed 12 years at TwelveDot and it has been quite the ride for both the company and myself. We have had  a lot of changes over the years with both the company and how we operate. This was due to a changing focus with our customers and how we had approached offering our services. I would have never thought that I would get to meet so many new contacts, work in new sectors such as aviation, healthcare, and education, and get to travel the world over doing so. To all of our current and former clients thank-you for believing in us. To those we still have to meet, we look forward to the day we can satisfy your cyber needs.

Starting this month and going forward, I will be posting updates as we look to change some of the operational aspects of the business. These are not significant just changing with the times to again meet the demand of the market and need for specialized services.

I will also beginning a series on the CSA/ANSI T200 standard that was published last year. We were pivotal in both developing and writing this standard and we are hoping that it will really become a baseline for all IoT devices to be evaluated using a maturity model approach. This standard already is aligned to the ISO standard on a IoT baseline (ISO/IEC 27402) and the ETSI baseline (303 645) for Europe. We made harmonization a key aspect of this standard to allow vendors to get assessed under one program that would have global recognition. More on this later including the many organizations who are already recognizing this standard for testing and evaluation of IoT products.

I will also be announcing a book I am working on later this year as well. It represents the 10 plus years of work we have done for IoT both as research and as product evaluators.

With the post-COVID generation upon us, we look forward to contributing to more International standards work and projects that help to build on our recognized achievements to date. To our staff, this would not have happened without you and I am grateful for all our staff both current and previous.

//Faud

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Nov
13
2020
IoT ISO Secure By Design Security Standards

This project started back in the Fall of 2016 in a boardroom in Seattle, Washington. The goal was to help a national utility company ensure that IoT based products were not weaponized while deployed. Their challenge to the team: How could a product assessment team help them given that there was national standards for things like a building code and electrical products.

Over the course of 18 months, a framework was created and validated using a pilot program with vendors who were considered SMBs in the IoT space. Several of these companies were only a few years old with very little in the way of process and procedure but were building a name for their products.

The program has three main phases:

    1. A self assessment;
    2. An audit based on claims made in the self-assessment, and;
    3. Formal testing (blackbox, white box, and grey box).

We were able to identify that most companies could complete the first phase in about 4 hours, the audit was typically completed in a day and testing was taking about one month. As the approach was not a “one-and-done” approach but a method to show maturity having a company enter the program would allow for the mapping of next target controls that need to be required.

This was how we started when we wrote the Expression version of T200, now fast forward 12 months and we have now added the following:

  • Add a baseline that maps to all international baselines for IoT based product companies;
  • Scope of testing is the solution not just the device;
  • Does not invalidate other programs or certifications already received for cyber but compliments them;
  • Created a supplement to deal with OT systems;
  • Defined the audit details that will be significant for both the auditor and organization being audited, and;
  • Providing a roadmap for young product companies to quickly map their current controls to those based on international standards and best practices to build maturity.

We believe that this standard will help SMBs who make products and services as it focuses not only on a product but how the company operates securely. This standard has been registered in both Canada (under Standards Council of Canada) and the United States (ANSI) so it will have applicability to many sectors including healthcare, OT, and automotive.

More information will be provided once the final version is published, which we anticipate in Spring of 2021. If you have any questions in the meantime please contact us.

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Dec
01
2019
Cyber Security IoT ISO Standards

The last few months have been hectic as many of the standards groups are pushing to get security and privacy aspects of IoT under control. As we get ready to whine down the year lets look at where we are:

a. ISO/IEC 27030 IoT Security and Privacy – This standard has now moved to Committee Draft (CD) and as the editor I am really proud of my editing team and global experts to get us her rather quickly. I believe this international standard will set the bar for IoT products globally and is highly anticipated by many groups and organizations globally.

b. ISO/IEC 27042 IoT Basline – This standard is currently a New Work Item Proposal (NWIP) and will be going to voting in the next few months. This is the result of a Adhoc Group that studied this and determined that we need a baseline for vendors who are entering the IoT product field. The goal is that this would be just a starting point and not the finish line for securing the product and organization but would provide regulators the guidance they need for products.

c. IoT Platform is group that has developed as result of work completed by the Internet Society in Canada. As a result of this work, a platform of regulators has formed and continues to expand how to ensure that IoT products are secure both now and in the future. As a result of this many nations will be making formal announcements to aspects that products should have. In Canada this has posted by Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA) and details are located here. I believe that this is good starting point but an hope that vendors will realized these aspects alone do not make a secure product that only happens when security and privacy become an embedded part of the organization and is driven into the development processes. I also hope that our regulators hold vendors to a higher sense of responsibility for security and products going forward.

d. CSA T200 has been released as an Express Standard and over the next 24 months we hope to develop the final version that will be used as the baseline for products and organizations in Canada and the US for meeting or exceeding regulatory requirements for IoT products. In the future we are looking for the implementation of a cyber label on products for security. More to come on this in the future.

e. IEC 30149 IoT Trustworthiness is still very much a work in progress as many experts are still trying to determine what consitutes trust. While one faction believes it is result of SDLC, I am very much of the opinion that this is not the case but view of the organization that includes the development processes. The approach must be based on an approach such as ISO 42010 that will allow any organization to determine the specific attributes to trust for their company and products being developed.

Here is the content for the IoT Checklist:

1. Ask how the device is collecting, using, and sharing your data

  • Is the device collecting my data? How is the device collecting my data?
  • Is the device using my data? How is the device using my data?
  • Is the device sharing my data? How is the device sharing my data?
  • With whom is the device sharing my data?
  • Is the device collecting data I do not want shared, such as my location?
  • Is there an option for me to opt out of the device collecting, sharing or using my data?
  • Will I be able to opt out of additional or future features that collect data, without opting out of security updates?

2. Ask about the device’s lifecycle, if it can function offline, and if there is product support available

  • How long can I expect the device to work?
  • How long are security patches and upgrades expected to be available for this product?
  • What kind of support is available should I experience problems with the device or suspect the device has been compromised?
  • Will the device work without an Internet connection? Can I use the product if the Internet is down? What features work offline?
  • Will the device work if the manufacturer ceases to exist?

3. Ask if the device you are buying is from a reputable manufacturer

  • Does the company have a good track record when it comes to protecting its customers’ privacy and security?
  • Check for media coverage online about whether or not this company has experienced a security breach in the past. If so, what was the impact on its consumers? What measures did the company take to prevent future security breaches?
  • Are there independent user reviews of the product I can consult?

For more tips on how to approach a business or manufacturer about your privacy and security concerns, check out this tip sheet.

Lots of progress this past year and lots more to come. I do see a shift that regulators globally are moving towards requirements for IoT companies. I hope it is a wake up call for vendors that due to the lack of security controls and the growing attack surface that IoT vendors will see a day where their products will undergo formal testing and evaluation to enter certain markets globally.

 

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Aug
29
2019
ICT Industrial Control Infrastructure IoT Medical Standards

Yesterday, we officially launched CSA P125 Technical Committee on  Operational Technology Functional Safety and Security. This group is compromised of experts who represent organizations in multiple sectors and from both Canada and the United States. Our mandate is primary ensure that both international and regional standards of interest are adopted in both countries.

As our standards will be published under Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) they will recognized in both of these markets. As we look forward to providing both vendors and organizations options for selecting and implementing standards and certification options that will reflect a commitment to secure products and solutions by these vendors.

As the co-Chair to this group, I am very fortunate to be in such great company and expertise. As the editor of T200, I am humbled by the expertise we will have available to make our standard reflective of industry needs and requirements. I am looking forward to building relationships with the new members in the years ahead.

As with all new journeys, this one is even more special due to many of the critical aspects of the technologies we are dealing with. Getting to discuss so many new use cases and sectors it the best part of the job. There are so many cool projects and technologies that the layman just never sees but ensuring that many aspects of society continue to operate normally. This group is going to be there to set the bar for security in OT technology.

//Faud

 

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Aug
01
2019
Audit and Assessment IoT Standards

Over the past few months, we co-authored a CABA Whitepaper with BC Hydro’s David Rogers. The goal was to write a document that would help IoT vendors identify standards that should be considered for their IoT solutions and organization. As many buyers and procurement departments are developing requirements for products prior to evaluation and purchase ensuring that vendors, especially early stage companies, better understood the options is going to be key to adoption. With regulatory requirements being developed in many regions the future for products is going to mandate that several product categories undergo formal testing and evaluation. Getting ready for this is going to ease the transition, allow vendors to adapt to the frameworks and expand to new markets globally.

TwelveDot is honoured to have worked with staff of BC Hydro and others to develop this body of work and hope that SMB IoT vendors will benefit from our document and the approach to securing your operations and products. Also a shoutout to the folks at CSA Group for the support during this project. The funding was greatly appreciated.

The whitepaper can be found here: https://www.caba.org

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May
28
2019
IoT ISO Secure By Design Standards

At the recent IEC SC 41 Working Group and Plenary Meetings in Chongquin, CN. Our CEO and Convenor of AG 15 and AG 22 within SC41 presented at the Industry Workshop. It was well attended by government dignitaries, industry, local media and students.

Our presentation was focused on the testing and evaluation considerations for IoT products/solutions. This is based on the work we are doing with companies such as CSA Group for formal testing and evaluation and the development of a bi-national standard, T200, that reflects this need for product companies to have both a secure organization and products.

The goal is to have a cyber label on products for organizations who can demonstrate a security maturity. More details are contained in the presentation SC41 – TwelveDot_v1.

 

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Apr
30
2018
Blockchain IoT ISO Security Standards

This past weekend, I was very fortunate to be the keynote speaker at the China-Canada IoT and Blockchain Innovation and Development Summit in Markham (Toronto). It was great to see so many attendees who are interested in IoT and Blockchain and the potential for how we might be able to address security and privacy in IoT.

With the announcement of the Canada China IoT and Blockhain Research Institute it will greatly help Canadian and China organizations who want to expand their reach for products/services in these regions and be able have a source for testing, evaluation and business development. We are proud to be part of this and we look forward to helping companies secure their IoT solutions.

As a proud member of SDChain, TwelveDot is looking forward to growing the SDChain network which is already at 120K users and counting. As we get closer to building the SDK’s and expanding our platform, trustworthiness is going to be key element of providing security and privacy to IoT product/service users globally.

As many of you have requested a copy of my presentation I am providing it here: SDChain Keynote_v1

 

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Jan
21
2016
Cyber Security Healthcare Security Standards Uncategorised

With the recent rash of Healthcare data breaches it raises an important concern why is this happening? Especially, given the regulatory frameworks in place to protect patient data. We could spend many resources to determine the root cause of these issues however, there might be a better approach to begin with.

Specifically, healthcare providers, product and service companies need to change their approach to how they collect and protect patient data. The protection chain and data lifecycle needs to be completely understood. Only then can we ensure that data breaches do not become the norm.

TwelveDot using sound security principles based on ISO Security Standards has developed an organizational approach to addressing healthcare security. We have created a White Paper entitled “A Systematic Approach to Cyber Health” that details what organizations need to accomplish and our approach to put them in a position to better secure data handled.

Our goal is that only using a systematic approach to cyber security can healthcare providers ensure they protect their patient data.

Please download it here, and as usual please reach out to us with your questions, comments and issues in healthcare.

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Aug
25
2015
Infrastructure IoT IPv6 ISO Standards

 

Starting next week Canada will be hosting the 3rd meeting of the WG 10 IoT in Ottawa.

These meeting are building towards the completion of ISO 30141 A Reference Architecture for IoT. We have many of the biggest companies, consortiums, special interest groups all in attendance. While, I am attending as an expert my focus is on the security and privacy elements of IoT. Over the summer,  I lead a SRG to develop the draft content for a Conceptual Reference Model (CRM) for this standard. While it is still a work in progress we are making significant strides on a base model.

I will provide more details next week once we begin our sessions and some details on what the major themes are.

 

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