Converging Zero Trust and IoT Security: A Multivocal Literature Review

TL;DR

This paper provides a comprehensive review of how Zero Trust principles are being integrated into IoT security, highlighting academic and industry perspectives, research gaps, and future directions.

Contribution

It is the first multivocal literature review combining academic and industrial studies on IoT and Zero Trust convergence, identifying key research gaps and practical insights.

Findings

Academic focus on IoT compliance with ZT principles through modifications.

Industry emphasis on practical integration within existing ZT frameworks.

Identified research gaps in socio-technical aspects, cost-benefit analysis, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Abstract

The convergence of Internet of Things (IoT) security and Zero Trust (ZT) principles is a trending topic, demanding a comprehensive, multi-perspective analysis. We present the first multivocal literature review (MLR) on this topic, combining 68 academic and 36 industrial studies. This comprehensive review identifies two complementary yet divergent perspectives: academia focuses on IoT compliance with ZT principles through IoT modifications, while industry prioritizes practical integration within existing ZT frameworks guided by NIST standards. The analysis reveals critical research gaps in socio-technical understanding, cost-benefit evaluation, and interdisciplinary collaboration, highlighting these as key directions for future research.