The Internet of Things (IoT) has transformed industries and daily life, bringing unprecedented connectivity to everything from smart thermostats to industrial control systems. But this connectivity comes at a price: Increased exposure to security threats.
To address these security challenges, the Open Worldwide Application Security Project (OWASP) published its IoT Top 10 in 2018 which is a comprehensive list of the most critical security issues facing IoT systems and a foundational baseline. OWASP is an open-source project that tracks the most important security issues facing web applications – including APIs, mobile systems, and general vulnerabilities. The non-profit organization also offers guidance for penetration testing and training.
Understanding these specific risks and how to mitigate them is essential for organizations deploying connected devices at scale. Here, we explore the OWASP IoT Top 10 and how Forescout, a leader in device visibility and cybersecurity, can help organizations protect their IoT environments and devices.
OWASP IoT Top 10 of 2018
The OWASP Top 10 is a widely recognized list of the most critical security vulnerabilities affecting IoT devices and was published in 2018 – and its value is evergreen. It is maintained by the OWASP to help developers, manufacturers, and security professionals understand and mitigate common risks in IoT ecosystems.
The IoT top 10 security issues are as follows:
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Weak Guessable or Hardcoded Passwords | Use of default weak or hardcoded credentials makes devices easy targets for attackers. |
| Insecure Network Services | Network services running on the device may be unnecessary or vulnerable to attacks like DoS or remote code execution. |
| Insecure Ecosystem Interfaces | APIs mobile interfaces or cloud interfaces that are not properly secured can be exploited. |
| Lack of Secure Update Mechanism | Devices without secure update mechanisms (e.g. signed updates verified delivery) are at risk of being compromised. |
| Use of Insecure or Outdated Components | Inclusion of vulnerable third-party libraries or outdated software can lead to exploitability. |
| Insufficient Privacy Protection | Devices may collect and store sensitive data without proper safeguards or user consent. |
| Insecure Data Transfer and Storage | Data not encrypted during transmission or storage can be intercepted or stolen. |
| Lack of Device Management | Inadequate ability to manage and monitor devices (e.g. Inventory configurations lifecycle). |
| Insecure Default Settings | Devices shipped with insecure defaults or without the ability to change security settings. |
| Lack of Physical Hardening | Physical access to a device may allow attackers to extract sensitive data or bypass controls. |
How Forescout Helps Mitigate OWASP IoT Top 10 Risks
The Forescout 4D Platform™ delivers a unified and dynamic approach to exposure management by continuously assessing the security posture of all connected assets across IT, OT, IoT, and IoMT environments. By combining advanced device classification with contextual threat and vulnerability intelligence, the platform enables organizations to identify, prioritize, and respond to risks in real time.
At the core of this capability is a multi-dimensional analysis engine that fuses data from a wide range of telemetry sources — such as passive network monitoring, deep packet inspection (DPI), active probing, integrated vulnerability scanners, and proprietary threat intelligence. This enables detection of insecure configurations, deprecated protocols, misconfigured encryption (e.g., weak SSL/TLS), default or plaintext credentials, unauthorized services, and communications with known malicious infrastructure.
The platform’s exposure detection is further enhanced by Forescout’s proprietary vulnerability database and behavior-based indicators, specifically curated for the unique risks posed by IoT, OT, and IoMT devices — asset classes often overlooked by traditional IT-centric tools.
Together, these capabilities support dynamic posture detection and risk-aware prioritization, empowering security teams to proactively reduce attack surface and respond with precision — even in highly heterogeneous and mission-critical environments.
Through this data gathering, the Forescout 4D PlatformTM helps organizations address these top IoT issues by:
- Giving Visibility Into Weak Credentials and Device Posture
Forescout can detect devices using default or weak passwords through passive posture assessment and active interrogation. Administrators can be alerted in real time and remediate before a threat actor can exploit the weakness. - Detecting Insecure Network Services
Forescout continuously monitors for open ports and exposed services, flagging unnecessary or outdated services. This enables proactive risk mitigation before attackers can exploit these services. - Identifying Anomalies and Risks in the API Ecosystem
By analyzing communication patterns and API calls, Forescout can identify anomalies and potential misuse in cloud, mobile, and web interfaces connected to IoT systems, ensuring that ecosystem touchpoints are secure and compliant. - Automating Inventory of Components and Risk Scoring
The Forescout platform continuously tracks device software versions to help identify devices running outdated software, enabling prioritization of updates and guiding patching efforts. - Enforcing Privacy Policies
Forescout can classify devices handling personal or sensitive data and ensure they meet compliance policies (e.g., encryption, data flow restrictions). Forescout enforces privacy controls by monitoring data collection behaviors and applying rules to flag non-compliant devices. - Monitoring Data in Transit
Forescout can detect unencrypted or suspicious traffic, helping enforce secure communication standards (like TLS). Forescout can ensure encryption is applied during data transmission and storage, reducing the risk of interception. Additionally, Forescout detects anomalous communication behaviors by analyzing traffic patterns and promptly identifying unusual connections or data flows that may signal potential threats or compromised devices. - Automating Device Management and Response
With Forescout, organizations gain centralized control over IoT devices, enabling real-time policy enforcement, device onboarding controls, and lifecycle management, even for unmanaged devices. - Giving Awareness of Physical Device Risk
While Forescout doesn’t provide physical hardening itself, it enhances protection by monitoring behavioral changes that may indicate tampering—such as unusual traffic patterns or communication with unauthorized endpoints.
Go deeper: Forescout Research Vedere Labs is on top of all asset classes. See the riskiest devices of 2025.
Final Thoughts
As IoT adoption accelerates, so do the risks. OWASP’s IoT Top 10 provides a solid foundation for understanding the security challenges in this space. But visibility, control, and automation are the keys to effective defense.
Forescout enables organizations to see every device, assess risk, and enforce policies automatically — making it a powerful ally in the fight against IoT threats.
Forescout Differentiators – IoT Cybersecurity
| Required Capabilities for Implementing IoT Security | Forescout |
|---|---|
| Actionable visibility for every device on your network | Unified platform instantly discovers every device the instant they connect to the network – IoT, IoMT, ICS/OT and IT devices |
| Automated device classification | Automatically classifies IoT (and every other device on your network) leveraging three-dimensional classification taxonomy (device function & type, operating system & version, vendor & model) |
| Automated segmentation | Automatically segments based on device classification leveraging passively collected data (device function & type, operating system & version, vendor & model)Eliminates alert fatigue by automatically taking the action that turns red alerts green |
| Scale to enterprise | Proven to scale with multiple deployments of over 2 million devices |