Fast ECDH Key Exchange Using Twisted Edwards Curves with an Efficiently Computable Endomorphism

It is widely accepted that public-key cryptosystems play a major role in the security arena of the Internet of Things (IoT), but they need to be implemented efficiently to not deplete the scarce resources of battery-operated devices such as wireless sensor nodes. This paper describes a highly-optimized software implementation of scalar multiplication for Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) key exchange on resource-limited IoT devices that achieves fast execution times along with reasonably small code size and RAM consumption. Our software uses a special class of elliptic curves, namely twisted Edwards curves with an efficiently computable endomorphism similar to that of the so- called Gallant-Lambert-Vanstone (GLV) curves. This allows us to combine the main advantage of the GLV model, which is an efficiently-computable endomorphism to speed up variable-base scalar multiplication, with the fast and complete addition rules of the (twisted) Edwards model. We implemented variable-base scalar multiplication for static ECDH on two such curves, one over a 159-bit and the second over a 207-bit pseudo-Mersenne prime field, respectively, and evaluated their execution time on a 16-bit MSP430F1611 processor. The arithmetic operations in the prime field do not contain operand-dependent conditional statements (in particular no "if-then-else" clauses) and also the scalar multiplication follows a fixed execution path for a given (static) scalar. A variable-base scalar multiplication on curves over the 159 and 207-bit field takes about 2.63 and 4.84 million clock cycles, respectively, on an MSP430F1611 processor. These results compare favorably with the Montgomery ladder on the equivalent Montgomery curves, which is almost 50% slower

Secure Authenticated Key Exchange for Enhancing the Security of Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks

The current Routing Protocol for Low Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) standard provides three security modes Unsecured Mode (UM), Preinstalled Secure Mode (PSM), and Authenticated Secure Mode (ASM). The PSM and ASM are designed to prevent external routing attacks and specific replay attacks through an optional replay protection mechanism. RPL\u27s PSM mode does not support key replacement when a malicious party obtains the key via differential cryptanalysis since it considers the key to be provided to nodes during the configuration of the network. This thesis presents an approach to implementing a secure authenticated key exchange mechanism for RPL, which ensures the integrity and authentication of the received key while providing tamper-proof data communication for IoTs in insecure circumstances. Moreover, the proposed approach allows the key to be updated regularly, preventing an attacker from obtaining the key through differential cryptanalysis. However, it is observed that the proposed solution imposes an increase in the cost of communication, computation, power consumption, and memory usage for the network nodes

Resource Efficient Authentication and Session Key Establishment Procedure for Low-Resource IoT Devices

open access journalThe Internet of Things (IoT) can includes many resource-constrained devices, with most usually needing to securely communicate with their network managers, which are more resource-rich devices in the IoT network. We propose a resource-efficient security scheme that includes authentication of devices with their network managers, authentication between devices on different networks, and an attack-resilient key establishment procedure. Using automated validation with internet security protocols and applications tool-set, we analyse several attack scenarios to determine the security soundness of the proposed solution, and then we evaluate its performance analytically and experimentally. The performance analysis shows that the proposed solution occupies little memory and consumes low energy during the authentication and key generation processes respectively. Moreover, it protects the network from well-known attacks (man-in-the-middle attacks, replay attacks, impersonation attacks, key compromission attacks and denial of service attacks)

An Outline of Security in Wireless Sensor Networks: Threats, Countermeasures and Implementations

With the expansion of wireless sensor networks (WSNs), the need for securing the data flow through these networks is increasing. These sensor networks allow for easy-to-apply and flexible installations which have enabled them to be used for numerous applications. Due to these properties, they face distinct information security threats. Security of the data flowing through across networks provides the researchers with an interesting and intriguing potential for research. Design of these networks to ensure the protection of data faces the constraints of limited power and processing resources. We provide the basics of wireless sensor network security to help the researchers and engineers in better understanding of this applications field. In this chapter, we will provide the basics of information security with special emphasis on WSNs. The chapter will also give an overview of the information security requirements in these networks. Threats to the security of data in WSNs and some of their counter measures are also presented

The 9th International Conference on Ambient Systems, Networks and Technologies (ANT 2018)

In this paper, we analyze the performance of the state-of-the-art end-to-end security schemes in healthcare Internet of Things (IoT) systems. We identify that the essential requirements of robust security solutions for healthcare IoT systems comprise of (i) low-latency secure key generation approach using patients’ Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, (ii) secure and efficient authentication and authorization for healthcare IoT devices based on the certificate-based datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS), and (iii) robust and secure mobility-enabled end-to-end communication based on DTLS session resumption. The performance of the state-of-the-art security solutions including our end-to-end security scheme is tested by developing a prototype healthcare IoT system. The prototype is built of a Pandaboard, a TI SmartRF06 board and WiSMotes. The Pandaboard along with the CC2538 module acts as a smart gateway and the WisMotes act as medical sensor nodes. Based on the analysis, we found out that our solution has the most extensive set of performance features in comparison to related approaches found in the literature. The performance evaluation results show that compared to the existing approaches, the cryptographic key generation approach proposed in our end-to-end security scheme is on average 1.8 times faster than existing key generation approaches while being more energy-efficient. In addition, the scheme reduces the communication overhead by 26% and the communication latency between smart gateways and end users by 16%. Our scheme is also approximately 97% faster than certificate based and 10% faster that symmetric key-based DTLS. Certificate based DTLS requires about 2.9 times more ROM and 2.2 times more RAM resources. On the other hand, the ROM and RAM requirements of our scheme are almost as low as in symmetric key-based DTLS.</p

Adaptable Security in Wireless Sensor Networks by Using Reconfigurable ECC Hardware Coprocessors

Specific features of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) like the open accessibility to nodes, or the easy observability of radio communications, lead to severe security challenges. The application of traditional security schemes on sensor nodes is limited due to the restricted computation capability, low-power availability, and the inherent low data rate. In order to avoid dependencies on a compromised level of security, a WSN node with a microcontroller and a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is used along this work to implement a state-of-the art solution based on ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography). In this paper it is described how the reconfiguration possibilities of the system can be used to adapt ECC parameters in order to increase or reduce the security level depending on the application scenario or the energy budget. Two setups have been created to compare the software- and hardware-supported approaches. According to the results, the FPGA-based ECC implementation requires three orders of magnitude less energy, compared with a low power microcontroller implementation, even considering the power consumption overhead introduced by the hardware reconfiguratio

Public key cryptography in resource-constrained WSN

In this paper we present a detailed review of the works on public key cryptography (PKC) in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In the early days of sensor networks, public key cryptography was thought to be completely unfeasible considering its computational complexity and energy requirements. By this time, several works have proved that the lightweight versions of many well-known public key algorithms can be utilized in WSN environment. With the expense of a little energy, public key based schemes could in fact be the best choice for ensuring data security in high-security demanding WSN applications. Here, we talk about the notion of public key cryptography in WSN, its applicability, challenges in its implementation, and present a detailed study of the significant works on PKC in WSN

DHB-KEY: An Efficient Key Distribution Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks

Real-world deployments of wireless sensor networks require secure communication. In many application cases it is sufficient to provide message authentication at the sink. To implement this requirement using symmetric ciphers, keys shared between each sensor node and the sink have to be established and kept fresh during network operation. This paper presents a key distribution scheme based on the well known Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman key exchange mechanism that allows us to fulfil the previously outlined requirements efficiently. The DHB-KEY scheme requires only the distribution of a single sink-initiated broadcast message to set individual keys on all sensor nodes. Thus, DHB-KEY has a low complexity and preserves scarce resources such as bandwidth and energy. In the paper we present a protocol specification based on the DHB-KEY scheme and its implementation for the well known TinyOS platform. A physical intrusion detection system in an office building is used to evaluate the protocol implementation. The evaluation shows that DHB-KEY is practical in real-world deployments

End-to-end security scheme for mobility enabled healthcare Internet of Things

We propose an end-to-end security scheme for mobility enabled healthcare Internet of Things (IoT). The proposed scheme consists of (i) a secure and efficient end-user authentication and authorization architecture based on the certificate based DTLS handshake, (ii) secure end-to-end communication based on session resumption, and (iii) robust mobility based on interconnected smart gateways. The smart gateways act as an intermediate processing layer (called fog layer) between IoT devices and sensors (device layer) and cloud services (cloud layer). In our scheme, the fog layer facilitates ubiquitous mobility without requiring any reconfiguration at the device layer. The scheme is demonstrated by simulation and a full hardware software prototype. Based on our analysis, our scheme has the most extensive set of security features in comparison to related approaches found in literature. Energy-performance evaluation results show that compared to existing approaches, our scheme reduces the communication overhead by 26% and the communication latency between smart gateways and end users by 16%. In addition, our scheme is approximately 97% faster than certificate based and 10% faster than symmetric key based DTLS. Compared to our scheme, certificate based DTLS consumes about 2.2 times more RAM and 2.9 times more ROM resources. On the other hand, the RAM and ROM requirements of our scheme are almost as low as in symmetric key-based DTLS. Analysis of our implementation revealed that the handover latency caused by mobility is low and the handover process does not incur any processing or communication overhead on the sensors. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Towards end-to-end security in internet of things based healthcare

Healthcare IoT systems are distinguished in that they are designed to serve human beings, which primarily raises the requirements of security, privacy, and reliability. Such systems have to provide real-time notifications and responses concerning the status of patients. Physicians, patients, and other caregivers demand a reliable system in which the results are accurate and timely, and the service is reliable and secure. To guarantee these requirements, the smart components in the system require a secure and efficient end-to-end communication method between the end-points (e.g., patients, caregivers, and medical sensors) of a healthcare IoT system. The main challenge faced by the existing security solutions is a lack of secure end-to-end communication. This thesis addresses this challenge by presenting a novel end-to-end security solution enabling end-points to securely and efficiently communicate with each other. The proposed solution meets the security requirements of a wide range of healthcare IoT systems while minimizing the overall hardware overhead of end-to-end communication. End-to-end communication is enabled by the holistic integration of the following contributions. The first contribution is the implementation of two architectures for remote monitoring of bio-signals. The first architecture is based on a low power IEEE 802.15.4 protocol known as ZigBee. It consists of a set of sensor nodes to read data from various medical sensors, process the data, and send them wirelessly over ZigBee to a server node. The second architecture implements on an IP-based wireless sensor network, using IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). The system consists of a IEEE 802.11 based sensor module to access bio-signals from patients and send them over to a remote server. In both architectures, the server node collects the health data from several client nodes and updates a remote database. The remote webserver accesses the database and updates the webpage in real-time, which can be accessed remotely. The second contribution is a novel secure mutual authentication scheme for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) implant systems. The proposed scheme relies on the elliptic curve cryptography and the D-Quark lightweight hash design. The scheme consists of three main phases: (1) reader authentication and verification, (2) tag identification, and (3) tag verification. We show that among the existing public-key crypto-systems, elliptic curve is the optimal choice due to its small key size as well as its efficiency in computations. The D-Quark lightweight hash design has been tailored for resource-constrained devices. The third contribution is proposing a low-latency and secure cryptographic keys generation approach based on Electrocardiogram (ECG) features. This is performed by taking advantage of the uniqueness and randomness properties of ECG's main features comprising of PR, RR, PP, QT, and ST intervals. This approach achieves low latency due to its reliance on reference-free ECG's main features that can be acquired in a short time. The approach is called Several ECG Features (SEF)-based cryptographic key generation. The fourth contribution is devising a novel secure and efficient end-to-end security scheme for mobility enabled healthcare IoT. The proposed scheme consists of: (1) a secure and efficient end-user authentication and authorization architecture based on the certificate based Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) handshake protocol, (2) a secure end-to-end communication method based on DTLS session resumption, and (3) support for robust mobility based on interconnected smart gateways in the fog layer. Finally, the fifth and the last contribution is the analysis of the performance of the state-of-the-art end-to-end security solutions in healthcare IoT systems including our end-to-end security solution. In this regard, we first identify and present the essential requirements of robust security solutions for healthcare IoT systems. We then analyze the performance of the state-of-the-art end-to-end security solutions (including our scheme) by developing a prototype healthcare IoT system