Countering IoT-Based Cyber-Physical Manipulation: A Framework for National Resilience Against Systemic Disruption

The spread of Internet of Things (IoT)-technologies to domains considered vital to the nation, including energy, health, transport, and industry, has radically altered the cyber-physical environment of the country infrastructure. Nevertheless, the speed of this integration has also created new vulnerabilities that have allowed threat actors to use networked devices to create disruption in the real world. This study explores the way attackers are using IoT ecosystems by hijacking firmware, inappropriate communication protocols, and compromising supply-chain protocols to cause cascading failures through the interdependence of systems. Based on empirical research of significant attacks, such as the Mirai botnet, Triton/Trisis industrial malware, and attacks on municipal water facilities, the paper models the systemic risk of IoT-based cyber-physical manipulation on the basis of real-world data simulations. The study, further, suggests a Cyber-Physical Resilience Framework (CPRF)- an integrated defense and recovery strategy that entails lateral security of firmware lifecycle, network trust zoning, behavioral anomaly detection and incident thresholding. The CPRF is geared to be in line with the current cybersecurity directives of the U.S. such as the NIST SP 800-213, the IoT Cybersecurity Improvement Act (2020), and the National Cybersecurity Strategy (2023). This way, it offers a practical roadmap to developing more resilience against coordinated disruption of the federation, industry, and manufacturing through the use of IoT. Lastly, the paper provides governance and policy guidelines to enhance the national preparedness by interagency coordination and modernizing regulations. This combined strategy highlights the fact that IoT ecosystem security is not a technological requirement, but a strategic need to ensure national stability and continuity of operations.