Security in the Internet of Things: Identifying and Analysing Critical Categories

With the proliferation of IoT-based applications, security requirements are becoming increasingly stringent. Given the diversity of such systems, choosing the most appropriate solutions and technologies according to the challenges is a complex activity. This paper provides an exhaustive evaluation of existing security challenges related to the IoT domain. This review explores the evolving landscape of IoT security, identifying key focus areas, challenges, and proposed solutions as presented in recent research. The study categorizes IoT security efforts into six main areas: attack detection, data management and protection, securing identity management, communication and networking, emergent technologies, and risk management. Each category reflects the critical vulnerabilities and growing complexities of IoT systems. From leveraging machine learning and blockchain for anomaly detection and real-time threat response to optimizing lightweight algorithms for resource-limited devices, researchers propose innovative and adaptive solutions to meet emerging threats. The review underscores the integration of advanced technologies to enhance IoT system security, while also highlighting ongoing challenges. The paper concludes with a synthesis of security challenges and threats of each identified category together with their solutions, aiming to support decision-making during the designing approach of IoT-based applications and to guide future research toward comprehensive and efficient IoT frameworks.