Open-source software (OSS) plays a foundational role in modern development environments. Its accessibility, speed, and cost-efficiency make it a popular choice among IoT device manufacturers, especially those racing toward aggressive timelines and tight budgets. But speed comes at a price. For connected devices deployed at the edge, the use of OSS introduces avoidable risks that threaten both the security and compliance posture of the entire product.
When an IoT device is compromised, the fallout isn’t limited to technical inconvenience. Regulatory exposure, operational continuity, and customer trust can all suffer, and in industries like healthcare or transportation, even human safety is at risk. While OSS has a place in the development landscape, depending on it for IoT edge device security without strict control over maintenance, updates, and validation leaves device manufacturers in a vulnerable position.
The Appeal of Open Source in IoT Development
IoT lifecycle management often begins with one question: build or borrow? OSS represents the borrow approach with a fast track to deployment. Ready-to-use libraries and community support can significantly reduce time-to-market, especially for manufacturers that lack extensive internal resources for protocol development or security design.
However, the responsibility for validation, long-term patching, and compliance remains solely with the device manufacturer. That means if a vulnerability is discovered in a widely used OSS library, such as OpenSSL or mbedTLS, the product team is accountable for detecting the issue, evaluating impact, and deploying a fix across potentially millions of devices.
Open source creates a false sense of security. It saves time up front, but rarely delivers the security guarantees, documentation, or compliance controls required for regulated or safety-critical environments.
Security Risks Inherent to Public Codebases
The most concerning OSS-related risks for IoT edge device security fall into three categories:
- Unpatched vulnerabilities: Attackers regularly scan for and exploit known bugs in open-source libraries, particularly in IoT devices that rarely receive firmware updates after deployment.
- Supply chain attacks: Injecting malicious code into widely used OSS packages can allow threat actors to compromise thousands of devices before the breach is detected.
- Open Liability: There’s no SLA, vendor support, or formal process for managing vulnerability disclosures in most OSS communities. If a fix is needed urgently, your team is responsible for developing and testing it.
These risks are especially acute in devices that handle sensitive data or operate in safety-critical environments. Without a hardened security stack, IoT cryptography functions (e.g., TLS, SSH) are exposed to both passive and active attacks over time.
Compliance Is Not Guaranteed with OSS
Regulated industries demand demonstrable security assurance. For example, FIPS 140-3 is required by the U.S. federal government and many sectors handling sensitive data. Unfortunately, most OSS libraries are not FIPS validated, and adding compliance controls retroactively is both complex and expensive. Without formal certification or verified implementation processes, OEMs face audit risk, market access limitations, and liability exposure.
Lifecycle Management Demands Structure, Not Hope
IoT devices have long operational lifespans. Many stay in the field for 7–10 years or longer. During that time, dozens of critical vulnerabilities may surface in underlying software libraries. Yet without a structured update process, many OSS-based devices are never patched, leaving users exposed indefinitely.
Effective IoT lifecycle management must include:
- Vulnerability monitoring and impact assessment.
- Scheduled patch deployment windows.
- Cryptographic key rotation and integrity checks.
- Change control for firmware signing and secure provisioning.
Without defined lifecycle practices in place, even well-secured devices become vulnerable over time due to emerging threats, unpatched flaws, and outdated cryptographic components.
Best Practices for Securing IoT Devices
To address these challenges without compromising agility, manufacturers must adopt practical, proactive security measures. This includes:
- Securing IoT data in motion using standards-based TLS with verified implementation.
- Securing IoT data at rest through hardware-based encryption and key isolation.
- Implementing secure provisioning for IoT devices at the factory and in-field.
- Managing cryptographic keys throughout the full device lifecycle.
- Using FIPS validated cryptography to support compliance and assurance standards.
Proprietary toolkits from Allegro Software offer these features in a hardware-agnostic, plug-and-play format, removing the complexity and inconsistency of DIY OSS approaches while accelerating time to market.
Summary: Why Open Source Alone Falls Short for IoT Security
- OSS accelerates development but brings lasting security liabilities.
- Unpatched vulnerabilities, lack of compliance, and inconsistent updates are common failure points.
- IoT cryptography needs to be proven, validated, and supported across the device lifecycle.
- Allegro Software provides proprietary toolkits with FIPS-validated cryptography, ability to support vendor specific secure provisioning, and lifecycle support.
- Manufacturers looking for secure, scalable, and compliant device infrastructure should reconsider OSS as a foundation for device security.
Take Ownership of Security at the Source
Schedule a consultation with Allegro Software to understand how proprietary, FIPS-validated toolkits can help you avoid the long-term risks of open-source software. Build with confidence. Deploy with security.
