A Method for Securing Symmetric Keys for Internet of Things Enabled Distributed Data Systems

This study introduces an innovative method for securing symmetric keys in Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled distributed data systems, focusing on enhancing data security while optimizing encryption and decryption times. Through a comprehensive analysis of various encryption algorithms—TEA, XTEA, BLOCK TEA (XXTEA), and the proposed NTSA algorithm—across different key sizes and file sizes, we aim to demonstrate the significant improvements our method offers over existing techniques. Our research meticulously evaluated the performance of these algorithms, employing random variations to encryption and decryption times to simulate real-world variability and assess the algorithms' efficiency and security robustness. The findings reveal that the NTSA algorithm, in particular, showcases superior performance, offering an approximate improvement of 10% to 15% in encryption and decryption times over traditional methods such as TEA and XTEA, and an even more considerable enhancement compared to BLOCK TEA (XXTEA). The key contribution of this study lies in its provision of a secure, efficient framework for symmetric key encryption in IoT-enabled distributed environments. By optimizing key size and algorithm selection, our method not only secures data against potential cyber threats but also ensures high-speed data processing—a critical requirement in the IoT domain where the volume of data transactions and the need for real-time processing are ever-increasing. The proposed method significantly advances the field of data security in distributed systems, especially within the context of the burgeoning IoT landscape. It underscores the importance of algorithmic efficiency and strategic key management in bolstering the security and performance of modern digital ecosystems

Integrated Distributed Authentication Protocol for Smart Grid Communications

In the smart grid, an integrated distributed authen- tication protocol is needed to not only securely manage the system but also efficiently authenticate many different entities for the communications. In addition, a lightweight authentication protocol is required to handle frequent authentications among billions of devices. Unfortunately, in the literature, there is no such integrated protocol that provides mutual authentication among the home environment, energy provider, gateways, and advanced metering infrastructure network. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a lightweight cloud-trusted authorities-based integrated (centrally controlled) distributed authentication protocol that provides mutual authentications among communicated entities in a distributed manner. Based on certificateless cryptosystem, our protocol is lightweight and efficient even when there are invalid requests in a batch. Security and performance analysis show that the protocol provides privacy preservation, forward secrecy, semantic security,perfect key ambiguous, and protection against identity thefts while generating lower overheads in comparison with the existing protocols. Also, the protocol is secure against man-in-the-middle attacks, redirection attacks, impersonation attacks, and denial-of-service attacks. Moreover, our protocol provides a complete resistance against flood-based denial-of-service attacks

Satellite-based communications security:A survey of threats, solutions, and research challenges

Satellite-based Communication (SATCOM) systems are gaining renewed momentum in Industry and Academia, thanks to innovative services introduced by leading tech companies and the promising impact they can deliver towards the global connectivity objective tackled by early 6G initiatives. On the one hand, the emergence of new manufacturing processes and radio technologies promises to reduce service costs while guaranteeing outstanding communication latency, available bandwidth, flexibility, and coverage range. On the other hand, cybersecurity techniques and solutions applied in SATCOM links should be updated to reflect the substantial advancements in attacker capabilities characterizing the last two decades. However, business urgency and opportunities are leading operators towards challenging system trade-offs, resulting in an increased attack surface and a general relaxation of the available security services. In this paper, we tackle the cited problems and present a comprehensive survey on the link-layer security threats, solutions, and challenges faced when deploying and operating SATCOM systems. Specifically, we classify the literature on security for SATCOM systems into two main branches, i.e., physical-layer security and cryptography schemes. Then, we further identify specific research domains for each of the identified branches, focusing on dedicated security issues, including, e.g., physical-layer confidentiality, anti-jamming schemes, anti-spoofing strategies, and quantum-based key distribution schemes. For each of the above domains, we highlight the most essential techniques, peculiarities, advantages, disadvantages, lessons learned, and future directions. Finally, we also identify emerging research topics whose additional investigation by Academia and Industry could further attract researchers and investors, ultimately unleashing the full potential behind ubiquitous satellite communications.</p

Authentication and Authorization Scheme for Various User-Roles and Devices in Smart Grid

The smart grid, as the next generation of the power grid, is characterized by employing many different types of intelligent devices, such as intelligent electronic devices located at substations, smart meters positioned in the home area network, and outdoor field equipment deployed in the fields. Also, there are various users in the smart grid network, including customers, operators, maintenance personnel, and etc., who use these devices for various purposes. Therefore, a secure and efficient mutual authentication and authorization scheme is needed in the smart grid to prevent various insider and outsider attacks on many different devices. In this paper, we propose an authentication and authorization scheme for mitigating outsider and insider threats in the smart grid by verifying the user authorization and performing the user authentication together whenever a user accesses the devices. The proposed scheme computes each user-role dynamically using an attribute-based access control and verifies the identity of user together with the device. Security and performance analysis show that the proposed scheme resists various insider as well as outsider attacks, and is more efficient in terms of communication and computation costs in comparison with the existing schemes. The correctness of the proposed scheme is also proved using BAN-Logic and Proverif

Short Paper: Automatic Configuration for an Optimal Channel Protection in Virtualized Networks

Data confidentiality, integrity and authentication are security properties which are often enforced with the generation of secure channels, such as Virtual Private Networks, over unreliable network infrastructures. Traditionally, the configuration of the systems responsible of encryption operations is performed manually. However, the advent of software-based paradigms, such as Software-Defined Networking and Network Functions Virtualization, has introduced new arms races. In particular, even though network management has become more flexible, the increased complexity of virtual networks is making manual operations unfeasible and leading to errors which open the path to a large number of cyber attacks. A possible solution consists in reaching a trade-off between flexibility and complexity, by automatizing the configuration of the channel protection systems through policy refinement. In view of these considerations, this paper proposes a preliminary study for an innovative methodology to automatically allocate and configure channel protection systems in virtualized networks. The proposed approach would be based on the formulation of a MaxSMT problem and it would be the first to combine automation, formal verification and optimality in a single technique

Satellite-Based Communications Security: A Survey of Threats, Solutions, and Research Challenges

Satellite-based Communication systems are gaining renewed momentum in Industry and Academia, thanks to innovative services introduced by leading tech companies and the promising impact they can deliver towards the global connectivity objective tackled by early 6G initiatives. On the one hand, the emergence of new manufacturing processes and radio technologies promises to reduce service costs while guaranteeing outstanding communication latency, available bandwidth, flexibility, and coverage range. On the other hand, cybersecurity techniques and solutions applied in SATCOM links should be updated to reflect the substantial advancements in attacker capabilities characterizing the last two decades. However, business urgency and opportunities are leading operators towards challenging system trade-offs, resulting in an increased attack surface and a general relaxation of the available security services. In this paper, we tackle the cited problems and present a comprehensive survey on the link-layer security threats, solutions, and challenges faced when deploying and operating SATCOM systems.Specifically, we classify the literature on security for SATCOM systems into two main branches, i.e., physical-layer security and cryptography schemes.Then, we further identify specific research domains for each of the identified branches, focusing on dedicated security issues, including, e.g., physical-layer confidentiality, anti-jamming schemes, anti-spoofing strategies, and quantum-based key distribution schemes. For each of the above domains, we highlight the most essential techniques, peculiarities, advantages, disadvantages, lessons learned, and future directions.Finally, we also identify emerging research topics whose additional investigation by Academia and Industry could further attract researchers and investors, ultimately unleashing the full potential behind ubiquitous satellite communications.Comment: 72 page

A class of theory-decidable inference systems

Tableau d’honneur de la Faculté des études supérieures et postdoctorales, 2004-2005Dans les deux dernières décennies, l’Internet a apporté une nouvelle dimension aux communications. Il est maintenant possible de communiquer avec n’importe qui, n’importe où, n’importe quand et ce, en quelques secondes. Alors que certains systèmes de communication distribués, comme le courriel, le chat, . . . , sont plutôt informels et ne nécessitent aucune sécurité, d’autres comme l’échange d’informations militaires ou encore médicales, le commerce électronique, . . . , sont très formels et nécessitent de très hauts niveaux de sécurité. Pour atteindre les objectifs de sécurité voulus, les protocoles cryptographiques sont souvent utilisés. Cependant, la création et l’analyse de ces protocoles sont très difficiles. Certains protocoles ont été montrés incorrects plusieurs années après leur conception. Nous savons maintenant que les méthodes formelles sont le seul espoir pour avoir des protocoles parfaitement corrects. Ce travail est une contribution dans le domaine de l’analyse des protocoles cryptographiques de la façon suivante: • Une classification des méthodes formelles utilisées pour l’analyse des protocoles cryptographiques. • L’utilisation des systèmes d’inférence pour la mod´elisation des protocoles cryptographiques. • La définition d’une classe de systèmes d’inférence qui ont une theorie décidable. • La proposition d’une procédure de décision pour une grande classe de protocoles cryptographiquesIn the last two decades, Internet brought a new dimension to communications. It is now possible to communicate with anyone, anywhere at anytime in few seconds. While some distributed communications, like e-mail, chat, . . . , are rather informal and require no security at all, others, like military or medical information exchange, electronic-commerce, . . . , are highly formal and require a quite strong security. To achieve security goals in distributed communications, it is common to use cryptographic protocols. However, the informal design and analysis of such protocols are error-prone. Some protocols were shown to be deficient many years after their conception. It is now well known that formal methods are the only hope of designing completely secure cryptographic protocols. This thesis is a contribution in the field of cryptographic protocols analysis in the following way: • A classification of the formal methods used in cryptographic protocols analysis. • The use of inference systems to model cryptographic protocols. • The definition of a class of theory-decidable inference systems. • The proposition of a decision procedure for a wide class of cryptographic protocols

Efficiency and Sustainability of the Distributed Renewable Hybrid Power Systems Based on the Energy Internet, Blockchain Technology and Smart Contracts-Volume II

The climate changes that are becoming visible today are a challenge for the global research community. In this context, renewable energy sources, fuel cell systems, and other energy generating sources must be optimally combined and connected to the grid system using advanced energy transaction methods. As this reprint presents the latest solutions in the implementation of fuel cell and renewable energy in mobile and stationary applications, such as hybrid and microgrid power systems based on the Energy Internet, Blockchain technology, and smart contracts, we hope that they will be of interest to readers working in the related fields mentioned above

A verification approach to applied system security

We present a method for the security analysis of realistic models over off-the-shelf systems and their configuration by formal, machine-checked proofs. The presentation follows a large case study based on a formal security analysis of a CVS-Server architecture. The analysis is based on an abstract architecture (enforcing a role-based access control), which is refined to an implementation architecture (based on the usual discretionary access control provided by the POSIX environment). Both architectures serve as a skeleton to formulate access control and confidentiality properties. Both the abstract and the implementation architecture are specified in the language Z. Based on a logical embedding of Z into Isabelle/HOL, we provide formal, machine-checked proofs for consistency properties of the specification, for the correctness of the refinement, and for security propertie