Practical Internet of Things Security - Second Edition

Incorporate anti-tamper mechanisms that report and/or react to attempted physical compromise

Anti-tamper techniques protect against reverse engineering and alteration of IoT component capabilities. There are four types of anti-tamper measure:

• Tamper resistance
• Tamper detection
• Tamper response
• Tamper evidence

The specific choice of anti-tamper protection types used within your system will depend on the threats faced by your systems. At the extreme end of the spectrum, IoT devices supporting critical infrastructure systems will likely implement tamper response mechanisms, which actively deter attackers from gaining access or modifying system components.

Smart meters provide a good example of the need to incorporate anti-tamper protections ...