Bitlocker and Secure Boot will bring Windows 10 Enterprise grade security to IoT devices

A growing concern among security specialists, is the way IoT devices can be hacked and manipulated with ease. Home surveillance systems, nanny-cams and even Internet routers, have become a hot topic of conversation with security experts, who believe that many of the devices we take for granted as performing simple, innocuous tasks, can be accessed by an external source, and exploited in numerous ways.

The problem with the current state of IoT devices, is that while they do have some degree of built-in security, these measures are often seen as excessive by consumers who perceive these devices as having limited reach within their household, when in fact, anything that is connected to a home Wi-Fi hotspot can be used to gain access to other devices within the same network, which in turn, allow third parties to gather sensitive information.

In one scenario, an intruder could use an open Wi-Fi hot spot to gain control of the main router, which will allow the hacker to detect any active portable devices within the network. This type of activity, or lack of thereof, can provide an intruder with crucial information, which will ensure that no one is at home, before attempting a break-in.

Starting with the net update of Windows 10 IoT Core, connected home devices will enjoy stronger security and encryption, provided by Secure Boot and Bitlocker. According to a recent post on the official Windows Blog, Secure Boot and Bitlocker will be accessible by developers and manufacturers, to build applications and devices with the same level of security found in Windows 10 Pro, and Enterprise edition.

“...We summarize our IoT security goal as bringing Windows’ “enterprise grade” security to IoT, devices and you’ll soon see Secure Boot and Bitlocker encryption available in the IoT Core builds. By building this into IoT Core you can get these highly valuable security features without needing to build your own implementations meaning you can get your project done faster and still be more secure...”, writes director of program management for IoT, Steve Teixeira.

This is big news as the next generation of connected devices will be more advanced and secure than anything currently available to home users, but the best news is that Windows Insiders interested in testing out Windows 10 IoT Core, will be able to get it for free, by purchasing Adafruit’s Windows IoT Core Starter Kit. Microsoft and Adafruit have partnered to bring Windows 10 to open source developers interested in building next generation connected devices, through a starter kit which includes a Raspberry Pi 2 mainboard, a breadboard, and all hardware necessary to get start building right away. Plenty of tutorials and documentation is available at http://www.windowsondevices.com/.