Information-Centric Semantic Web of Things

In the Semantic Web of Things (SWoT) paradigm, a plethora of micro-devices permeates an environment. Storage and information processing are decentralized: each component conveys and even processes a (very) small amount of annotated metadata. In this perspective, the node-centric Internet networking model is inadequate. This paper presents a framework for resource discovery in semantic-enhanced pervasive environments leveraging an information-centric networking approach. Information gathered through different Internet of Things (IoT) technologies can be exploited by both ubiquitous and Web-based semantic-aware applications through a uniform set of operations. Experimental results and a case study support sustainability and effectiveness of the proposal

Cryptographic Approaches To Security and Privacy Issues In Pervasive Computing

Technological innovation has enabled tiny devices to participate in pervasive com- puting. Such devices are particularly vulnerable to security and privacy threats, because of their limited computing resources and relatively weak physical security. We investigate possible cryptographic solutions to security and privacy problems arising in two kinds of emerging pervasive computing networks: Personal Area Net- works (PANs) and the EPCglobal Network. A number of key management schemes have been proposed for use in PANs, but these schemes only support key management within a PAN. However, as people are increasingly equipped with multiple wireless devices, PANs are likely to be intercon- nected to share information or services. We introduce a term, iPANs, to name such interconnected PANs. We define system models and design goals for key manage- ment in iPANs, and propose a novel security initialisation scheme for use in iPANs. The proposed scheme achieves desirable security and efficiency properties by making use of the unique characteristics of PANs. The EPCglobal Network is designed to give efficiency and cost savings in and beyond the supply chain using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology; however, privacy threats affecting such networks are particularly serious. We construct a formal privacy model for RFID systems accurately reflecting adversarial threats and power. We then give brief privacy analysis for the existing privacy-enhanced RFID schemes which have received wide attention in the literature. We then construct a secure refresh-based RFID system based on re-encryption techniques, and prove its privacy using the defined privacy model. Finally, we show that the proposed scheme can greatly enhance the security and privacy of EPC tags, making the maximum use of given tag functionalities as specified in the standards

An IoT-aware Architecture to improve Safety in Sports Environments

The introduction of Internet of Things enabling technologies into the sport and recreational activities domain provide an interesting research challenge. Their adoption could significantly improve the sport experience and also the safety level of team sports. Despite this, only few attempts have been done to demonstrate the benefits provided by use of IoT technologies in sport environments. To fill this gap, this paper propose an IoT-aware Sport System based on the jointly use of different innovative technologies and standards. By exploiting the potentialities offered by an ultra-low-power Hybrid Sensing Network (HSN), composed of 6LoWPAN nodes integrating UHF RFID functionalities, the system is able to collect, in real time, both environmental parameters and players’ physiological data. Sensed data are then delivered to a Cloud platform where a monitoring application makes them easily accessible via REST Web Services. A simple proof of concept has demonstrated the appropriateness of the proposed solution

Enhancing RFID performance and security in networked environments

In this thesis we propose and present a number of methods by which the performance and security of networked RFID systems can be improved. These include a networked P2P RFID architecture, a comprehensive RFID security framework, a RFID security protocol and an RFID malware detection and Prevention technique

PluralisMAC: a generic multi-MAC framework for heterogeneous, multiservice wireless networks, applied to smart containers

Developing energy-efficient MAC protocols for lightweight wireless systems has been a challenging task for decades because of the specific requirements of various applications and the varying environments in which wireless systems are deployed. Many MAC protocols for wireless networks have been proposed, often custom-made for a specific application. It is clear that one MAC does not fit all the requirements. So, how should a MAC layer deal with an application that has several modes (each with different requirements) or with the deployment of another application during the lifetime of the system? Especially in a mobile wireless system, like Smart Monitoring of Containers, we cannot know in advance the application state (empty container versus stuffed container). Dynamic switching between different energy-efficient MAC strategies is needed. Our architecture, called PluralisMAC, contains a generic multi-MAC framework and a generic neighbour monitoring and filtering framework. To validate the real-world feasibility of our architecture, we have implemented it in TinyOS and have done experiments on the TMote Sky nodes in the w-iLab.t testbed. Experimental results show that dynamic switching between MAC strategies is possible with minimal receive chain overhead, while meeting the various application requirements (reliability and low-energy consumption)

A fog computing framework for scalable RFID systems in global supply chain management

With the rapid proliferation of RFID systems in global supply chain management, tracking every object at the individual item level has led to the generation of enormous amount of data that will have to be stored and accessed quickly to make real time decisions. This is especially critical for perishable goods supply chain such as fruits and pharmaceuticals which have enormous value tied up in assets and may become worthless if they are not kept in precisely controlled and cool environments. While Cloud-based RFID solutions are deployed to monitor and track the products from manufacturer to retailer, we argue that Fog Computing is needed to bring efficiency and reduce the wastage experienced in the perishable produce supply chain. This paper investigates in-depth: (i) the application of Fog Computing in perishable produce supply chain management using blackberry fruit as a case study; (ii) the data, computations and storage requirements for the fog nodes at each stage of the supply chain; (iii) the adaptation of the architecture to the general perishable goods supply chain; and (iv) the benefits of the proposed fog nodes with respect to monitoring and actuation in the blackberry supply chain