MIIT Issues Measures to Ensure IoT Security

The Measures for the Administration of Terminal Earth Stations of Satellite Mobile Communication Systems (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures") recently issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) came into effect on June 1, 2011. It is understood that the "Measures" aim to regulate the installation and use of terminal earth stations of satellite mobile communication systems (hereinafter referred to as "mobile earth stations"), clearing the way for the rapid development of emerging industries such as mobile broadband Internet. The "Measures" also set forth preventive measures for the security of the Internet of Things (IoT) industry, which is listed as one of the strategic emerging industries in the 12th Five-Year Plan, thereby reducing security risks and regulating market competition in the IoT sector. Liu Chunlu, Deputy Secretary-General of the Electronic Science and Technology Committee of MIIT, stated that the "Measures" provide some preliminary countermeasures for IoT information security. The IoT has entered the stage of practical application development, with its concept gradually becoming clearer and application development proceeding in parallel. Specific applications such as electric power and urban transportation have gradually achieved development and breakthroughs.

The issuance of the "Measures" is aimed at formulating countermeasures against potential security issues and vulnerabilities that may arise from the future development of the IoT industry, taking preventive action before problems occur. Bai Siwei, Secretary-General of the IoT Association, stated that the most important aspect of the "Measures" concerns network security issues related to the IoT. Li Guobin, Inspector of the Policy and Regulation Department of MIIT, stated that China currently lacks dedicated laws, administrative regulations, or rules to regulate the installation and use of mobile earth stations. The formulation of the "Measures" can strengthen the management of land mobile earth stations, regulate their installation and use, reduce illegal users, ensure communication security, and safeguard national interests. A technical expert from Yuanwanggu stated that these specific measures emphasize security, aiming to block overseas entities from developing illegal earth station users within China from a security perspective, as many IoT terminal products currently utilize radio spectrum resources.

During its development, the IoT has certain drawbacks due to its own characteristics. Since IoT devices may be deployed before being connected to the network, and IoT nodes are often unattended, in addition to the traditional network security issues of mobile communication networks, there are also special security issues that differ from existing mobile network security. Issues such as transmission and information security of the perception network and the core network are problems that cannot be ignored during the development of the IoT. To close loopholes such as overseas operators illegally developing land mobile earth station users within China using satellite communication systems, the "Measures" explicitly stipulate that if overseas short-term visitors or groups temporarily entering China use land mobile earth stations that have already completed network access procedures overseas, the domestic receiving organization or the corresponding competent authority must submit materials to MIIT, and the usage period shall not exceed six months.

Experts point out that standardized management is the most powerful guarantee for purifying the market and reducing interference, particularly serving as a protective measure for the security of high-end IoT products. It is reported that while clearing illegal users, MIIT will also continue to carry out wireless broadband frequency planning and adjustment work, as well as research on frequency requirements and related management for IoT and sensor components.

The main application areas for the future development of the IoT are focused on three markets: intelligent transportation, smart grid, and video surveillance. Although China's IoT is currently flourishing, "immature standard systems and bottlenecks in key technology R&D" still pose numerous challenges during the early stages of IoT development. With the clear guidance of the national 12th Five-Year Plan, the IoT has gradually transformed from a "vague concept" into an invisible driver of industrial transformation and upgrading. However, the security mechanism of the IoT remains blank in the industry, and therefore, an IoT security mechanism urgently needs to be established. Meng Yang, Deputy Secretary-General of the China IoT Industry Association, stated that IoT wireless communications face information security challenges that need to be resolved promptly in specific applications. Generally, enterprises directly use encryption methods, but the relevant regulations are not yet complete, and the government needs to issue corresponding standards and specifications.