Taking IoT security to the next level through GSMA-Verizon partnership

With a billion-plus smart devices connected worldwide, the Internet of Things (IoT) is well on its way to reinventing the way we live, work and play. And with more connections coming online each day, securing applications and devices has never been more important.

The GSMA, the trade body that represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, recognized the need for an IoT security standard and has partnered with Verizon for the remote provisioning and management of the embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC), also known as a SIM embedded in a device. The partnership makes Verizon the GSMA-certified certificate issuer for remote provisioning and management of the eUICC for IoT devices.

Verizon has long focused on this space, providing critical tools and thought leadership like Verizon’s IoT Security Credentialing service, which adds an extra layer of protection through the eUICC. The security credentialing service is designed to help reduce many of the security threats linked with today’s IoT deployments, enabling developers to secure single points of vulnerability and better protect devices and applications regardless of service provider or type of transport deployed – e.g. cellular, Wi-Fi, wireline, etc.

The GSMA represents nearly 800 mobile operators worldwide and almost 300 companies in the wider mobile ecosystem. It has helped to develop the specifications and security guidelines for the secure design, development and deployment of IoT services, and has worked with major industry partners to establish guidelines to ensure IoT device and application developers follow a common approach to create efficient, trusted and reliable IoT services that can scale as market grows.

Verizon’s GSMA certification will provide:

• Application protection: an “over-the-top” (OTT) layer of security to help secure IoT devices and apps, regardless of provider.
• Trusted authentication: ability to give select individuals and/or devices access to apps or IoT devices.
• Data privacy: help entities keep their data secure through encryption.

Said Mark Bartolomeo, VP of IoT at Verizon, “This is a promising step forward in securing IoT for the masses – the GSMA’s adoption of security certification through Verizon’s Security Credentialing Service will ensure standards for operators and manufacturers across the board, creating a more secure and consistent approach to IoT security moving forward.”