Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Ask Slashdot: Could A 'Smart Firewall' Protect IoT Devices?

Posted by EditorDavid on from the home-network-of-things dept.

To protect our home networks from IoT cracking, Ceaus wants to see a smart firewall: It's a small box (the size of a Raspberry Pi) with two ethernet ports you put in front of your ISP router. This firewall is capable of detecting your IoT devices and blocking their access to the internet, only and exclusively allowing traffic for the associated mobile app (if there is one). All other outgoing IoT traffic is blocked... Once you've plugged in your new IoT toaster, you press the "Scan" button on the firewall and it does the rest for you.
This would also block "snooping" from outside your home network, and of course, keep your devices off botnets. The original submission asks "Does such a firewall exist? Is this a possible Kickstarter project?" So leave your best answers in the comments. Could a smart firewall protect IoT devices?

5 of 230 comments (clear)

  1. some rules by drinkypoo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    All you really need is... some rules.

    If you have an openwrt, dd-wrt or similar router, you can definitely block whatever traffic you want without new hardware.

    You can whitelist devices by IP or MAC and not permit anything else to generate egress traffic, which won't prevent against devices smart enough to spoof your IP and MAC sending data but which will defeat the casual attacks.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    1. Re:some rules by grahamsz · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I've corralled mine into a dhcp space, but it might be safer just to set up a whole separate wifi network for them, would make it easier to monitor.

      Still it's trickier for things like the chromecast or airplay-type devices, because they both interact with phones and laptops on the local network and need to connect directly to streaming sources on the internet.

  2. How is this different from any firewall by Paul+Carver · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm pretty sure that this "smart firewall" is more commonly known as a "firewall". Any firewall that can't block traffic can't legitimately be called a firewall at all.

  3. Re:Ideally a manifest/profile from IoT makers... by MobyDisk · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I love that idea! It's like FDA labeling laws, but for electronics. It would be totally cheap for the manufacturer to do, and it would make it totally transparent as to which devices are total crap. And if they lie, they could be liable for it at LEAST under false advertising laws. Now that you say this -- why the heck haven't we done this before? It seems so simple and obvious.

    This device communicates on the following protocols:
    IP address | Protocol | Destination
    .
    .
    .

  4. Re:Ideally a manifest/profile from IoT makers... by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The IoT device is installed in a home, and writes the 'manifest' to the firewall device at installation. If it ever changes, the firewall would immediately know.