Device identity
A unique, verifiable credential, usually a cryptographic key pair and certificate, that lets a device prove to a platform which device it is.
Device identity is the foundation that every other control rests on. Without it, a platform cannot tell a legitimate sensor from a laptop impersonating one, cannot revoke a single compromised unit, and cannot bind data to its source. The usual implementation is a private key generated or injected on the device, ideally inside a secure element, with a matching X.509 certificate issued by the manufacturer’s PKI and registered in the platform’s device registry.
Shared secrets per product line are the common shortcut and the common failure: one leaked key compromises the entire fleet. Per-device identity costs a little at manufacturing and makes revocation, auditing and ownership transfer possible. Device identity, certificates and PKI for IoT goes through the options.
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