🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸 RESEARCH REFLECTION 🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
While experimenting on Hack The Box, I realized something interesting — the same VPN tunnels we use in cybersecurity labs could potentially revolutionize how IoT devices communicate securely.
🕚 Recently, while learning how to get data from a Linux machine on Hack The Box, I started by scanning the host IP through a virtual network using OpenVPN.
But I couldn’t even ping the host — it was isolated in a separate network. I had to use the .ovpn file to connect via utun.
That got me thinking: since my machine couldn’t access the box directly over the internet, what if IoT networks used a similar secure, virtual link model?
🔹 Case 1: Near the Device Setup
If the installation is large (e.g., a CPU or GPU-based edge node in a house, factory, or shop), LAN makes sense.
Most algorithms can run locally, processing around 70% of the data before sending it — encrypted — to the cloud or main node.
🔹 Case 2: Away from Device Setup
If that 70% processing node is far away, LAN becomes impractical due to cable management, maintenance, and cost.
So, what if we provide each IoT device (like ESP32 or Raspberry Pi) with its own OpenVPN configuration file — letting it connect to a private network before publishing data via MQTT?
Only devices inside that VPN could reach the broker, shielding the system from external access.
We could even rotate the VPN configs periodically for extra security.
And since utun or tun0 interfaces can be controlled with iptables, we can define exactly what traffic passes through.
For developers, SSH access to the edge node could happen through the same VPN — ensuring secure, controlled maintenance.
🔚 Just an idea — but combining VPN-type isolation with MQTT and edge computing could make IoT communication far more secure.
What do you think — could this approach scale in real-world IoT environments?
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