Practical Cross-Layer Radio Frequency-Based Authentication Scheme for Internet of Things

The Internet of Things world is in need of practical solutions for its security. Existing security mechanisms for IoT are mostly not implemented due to complexity, budget, and energy-saving issues. This is especially true for IoT devices that are battery powered, and they should be cost effective to be deployed extensively in the field. In this work, we propose a new cross-layer approach combining existing authentication protocols and existing Physical Layer Radio Frequency Fingerprinting technologies to provide hybrid authentication mechanisms that are practically proved efficient in the field. Even though several Radio Frequency Fingerprinting methods have been proposed so far, as a support for multi-factor authentication or even on their own, practical solutions are still a challenge. The accuracy results achieved with even the best systems using expensive equipment are still not sufficient on real-life systems. Our approach proposes a hybrid protocol that can save energy and computation time on the IoT devices side, proportionally to the accuracy of the Radio Frequency Fingerprinting used, which has a measurable benefit while keeping an acceptable security level. We implemented a full system operating in real time and achieved an accuracy of 99.8% for the additional cost of energy, leading to a decrease of only ~20% in battery life.

Internet of Things for System Integrity: A Comprehensive Survey on Security, Attacks and Countermeasures for Industrial Applications

The growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) offers numerous opportunities for developing industrial applications such as smart grids, smart cities, smart manufacturers, etc. By utilising these opportunities, businesses engage in creating the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). IoT is vulnerable to hacks and, therefore, requires various techniques to achieve the level of security required. Furthermore, the wider implementation of IIoT causes an even greater security risk than its benefits. To provide a roadmap for researchers, this survey discusses the integrity of industrial IoT systems and highlights the existing security approaches for the most significant industrial applications. This paper mainly classifies the attacks and possible security solutions regarding IoT layers architecture. Consequently, each attack is connected to one or more layers of the architecture accompanied by a literature analysis on the various IoT security countermeasures. It further provides a critical analysis of the existing IoT/IIoT solutions based on different security mechanisms, including communications protocols, networking, cryptography and intrusion detection systems. Additionally, there is a discussion of the emerging tools and simulations used for testing and evaluating security mechanisms in IoT applications. Last, this survey outlines several other relevant research issues and challenges for IoT/IIoT security.

Data integration in cardiac electrophysiology ablation toward achieving proper interoperability in health information systems

INTRODUCTION

Providing information exchange and collaboration between isolated information systems (ISs) is essential in the health-care environments. In this context, we aimed to develop a communication protocol to facilitate better interoperability among electrophysiology study (EPS)-related ISs in order to allow exchange unified reporting in EPS ablation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study was an applied-descriptive research that was conducted in 2019. To determine the information content of agreed cardiac EPS Minimum Data Set (MDS) in Iran, the medical record of patients undergoing EPS ablation procedure in the Tehran Heart Center (THC) hospital was reviewed by a checklist. Then, an information model based on Health Level Seven, Clinical Document Architecture (HL7 CDA) standard framework for structural interoperability has been developed. In this framework, using NPEX online browser and MindMaple software, a set of terminology mapping rules was used for consistent transfer of data between various ISs.

RESULTS

The information content of each data field was introduced into the heading and body sections of HL7 CDA document using Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine - Clinical Terminology names and codes. Then, the ontology alignment was designed in the form of thesaurus mapping routes.

CONCLUSION

The sensitive, complex, and multidimensional nature of cardiovascular conditions requires special attention to the interoperability of ISs. Designing customized communication protocols plays an important role in improving the interoperability, and they are compatible with the needs of future Iranian health information exchange.

A Survey of IoT Security Based on a Layered Architecture of Sensing and Data Analysis

The Internet of Things (IoT) is leading today's digital transformation. Relying on a combination of technologies, protocols, and devices such as wireless sensors and newly developed wearable and implanted sensors, IoT is changing every aspect of daily life, especially recent applications in digital healthcare. IoT incorporates various kinds of hardware, communication protocols, and services. This IoT diversity can be viewed as a double-edged sword that provides comfort to users but can lead also to a large number of security threats and attacks. In this survey paper, a new compacted and optimized architecture for IoT is proposed based on five layers. Likewise, we propose a new classification of security threats and attacks based on new IoT architecture. The IoT architecture involves a physical perception layer, a network and protocol layer, a transport layer, an application layer, and a data and cloud services layer. First, the physical sensing layer incorporates the basic hardware used by IoT. Second, we highlight the various network and protocol technologies employed by IoT, and review the security threats and solutions. Transport protocols are exhibited and the security threats against them are discussed while providing common solutions. Then, the application layer involves application protocols and lightweight encryption algorithms for IoT. Finally, in the data and cloud services layer, the main important security features of IoT cloud platforms are addressed, involving confidentiality, integrity, authorization, authentication, and encryption protocols. The paper is concluded by presenting the open research issues and future directions towards securing IoT, including the lack of standardized lightweight encryption algorithms, the use of machine-learning algorithms to enhance security and the related challenges, the use of Blockchain to address security challenges in IoT, and the implications of IoT deployment in 5G and beyond.

An Efficient Interface for the Integration of IoT Devices with Smart Grids

The evolution of computing devices and ubiquitous computing has led to the development of the Internet of Things (IoT). Smart Grids (SGs) stand out among the many applications of IoT and comprise several embedded intelligent technologies to improve the reliability and the safety of power grids. SGs use communication protocols for information exchange, such as the Open Smart Grid Protocol (OSGP). However, OSGP does not support the integration with devices compliant with the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP), a communication protocol used in conventional IoT systems. In this sense, this article presents an efficient software interface that provides integration between OSGP and CoAP. The results obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed solution, which presents low communication overhead and enables the integration between IoT and SG systems.

Ultrasound Intra Body Multi Node Communication System for Bioelectronic Medicine

The coming years may see the advent of distributed implantable devices to support bioelectronic medicinal treatments. Communication between implantable components and between deep implants and the outside world can be challenging. Percutaneous wired connectivity is undesirable and both radiofrequency and optical methods are limited by tissue absorption and power safety limits. As such, there is a significant potential niche for ultrasound communications in this domain. In this paper, we present the design and testing of a reliable and efficient ultrasonic communication telemetry scheme using piezoelectric transducers that operate at 320 kHz frequency. A key challenge results from the multi-propagation path effect. Therefore, we present a method, using short pulse sequences with relaxation intervals. To counter an increasing bit, and thus packet, error rate with distance, we have incorporated an error correction encoding scheme. We then demonstrate how the communication scheme can scale to a network of implantable devices. We demonstrate that we can achieve an effective, error-free, data rate of 0.6 kbps, which is sufficient for low data rate bioelectronic medicine applications. Transmission can be achieved at an energy cost of 642 nJ per bit data packet using on/off power cycling in the electronics.

An Edge-Fog Secure Self-Authenticable Data Transfer Protocol

Development of the Internet of Things (IoT) opens many new challenges. As IoT devices are getting smaller and smaller, the problems of so-called “constrained devices” arise. The traditional Internet protocols are not very well suited for constrained devices comprising localized network nodes with tens of devices primarily communicating with each other (e.g., various sensors in Body Area Network communicating with each other). These devices have very limited memory, processing, and power resources, so traditional security protocols and architectures also do not fit well. To address these challenges the Fog computing paradigm is used in which all constrained devices, or Edge nodes, primarily communicate only with less-constrained Fog node device, which collects all data, processes it and communicates with the outside world. We present a new lightweight secure self-authenticable transfer protocol (SSATP) for communications between Edge nodes and Fog nodes. The primary target of the proposed protocol is to use it as a secure transport for CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol) in place of UDP (User Datagram Protocol) and DTLS (Datagram Transport Layer Security), which are traditional choices in this scenario. SSATP uses modified header fields of standard UDP packets to transfer additional protocol handling and data flow management information as well as user data authentication information. The optional redundant data may be used to provide increased resistance to data losses when protocol is used in unreliable networks. The results of experiments presented in this paper show that SSATP is a better choice than UDP with DTLS in the cases, where the CoAP block transfer mode is used and/or in lossy networks.

Designing a communication protocol for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome information exchange

INTRODUCTION

Interoperability will provide similar understanding on the meaning of communicated messages to intelligent systems and their users. This feature is essential for controlling and managing contagious diseases which threaten public health, such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The aim of this study was also designing communication protocols for normalizing the content and structure of intelligent messages in order to optimize the interoperability.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study used a checklist to extract information content compatible with minimum data set (MDS) of AIDS. After coding information content through selected classification and nomenclature systems, the reliability and validity of codes were evaluated by external agreement method. The MindMaple software was used for mapping the information content to Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine-Clinical Terminology (SNOMED-CT) integrated codes. Finally, the Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) format was used for standard structuring of information content.

RESULTS

The information content standard format, compatible selected classification, or nomenclature system and their codes were determined for all information contents. Their corresponding codes in SNOMED-CT were structured in the form of CDA body and title.

CONCLUSION

The complex and multidimensional nature of AIDS requires the participation of multidisciplinary teams from different organizations, complex analyzes, multidimensional and complex information modeling, and maximum interoperability. In this study, the use of CDA structure along with SNOMED-CT codes is completely compatible with optimal interoperability needs for AIDS control and management.

Mutual-Information-Based Incremental Relaying Communications for Wireless Biomedical Implant Systems

Network lifetime maximization of wireless biomedical implant systems is one of the major research challenges of wireless body area networks (WBANs). In this paper, a mutual information (MI)-based incremental relaying communication protocol is presented where several on-body relay nodes and one coordinator are attached to the clothes of a patient. Firstly, a comprehensive analysis of a system model is investigated in terms of channel path loss, energy consumption, and the outage probability from the network perspective. Secondly, only when the MI value becomes smaller than the predetermined threshold is data transmission allowed. The communication path selection can be either from the implanted sensor to the on-body relay then forwards to the coordinator or from the implanted sensor to the coordinator directly, depending on the communication distance. Moreover, mathematical models of quality of service (QoS) metrics are derived along with the related subjective functions. The results show that the MI-based incremental relaying technique achieves better performance in comparison to our previous proposed protocol techniques regarding several selected performance metrics. The outcome of this paper can be applied to intra-body continuous physiological signal monitoring, artificial biofeedback-oriented WBANs, and telemedicine system design.

QoS Challenges and Opportunities in Wireless Sensor/Actuator Networks

A wireless sensor/actuator network (WSAN) is a group of sensors and actuators that are geographically distributed and interconnected by wireless networks. Sensors gather information about the state of physical world. Actuators react to this information by performing appropriate actions. WSANs thus enable cyber systems to monitor and manipulate the behavior of the physical world. WSANs are growing at a tremendous pace, just like the exploding evolution of Internet. Supporting quality of service (QoS) will be of critical importance for pervasive WSANs that serve as the network infrastructure of diverse applications. To spark new research and development interests in this field, this paper examines and discusses the requirements, critical challenges, and open research issues on QoS management in WSANs. A brief overview of recent progress is given.