Multi-point Security by a Multiplatform-compatible Multifunctional Authentication and Encryption Board

Abstract

Securing the access in networks is a first-order concern that only gains importance with the advent of Internet of Things (IoT). In this paper, a security system is presented for password-free access over the secured link. It makes the connection faster than manual authentication and facilitates Machine-to-Machine (M2M) secure interactions, as required for IoT. The authentication procedure includes the exchange of certificate and challenge/response pairs, which are stored and computed in an external security coprocessor. The system enforces the authentication protocol, includes error detection, and handles multiple devices according to their Operating Systems (OS) through their connections/ disconnections. It also performs encryption, if necessary. It is applicable on application level for devices, including IoT based devices, sensors, Android, and iOS-based smartphones. The devices that have the correct certificate and can solve the challenge can connect to the network linked with the security system. The system security is hardened because the sensitive authentication elements such as keys, certificates, and challenge responses are invisible to users and are exchanged only using strong hashing algorithms that are irreversible. The proposed hardware security system can augment any supporting network, converting the entire insecure network into a secured one, as well as retrofit existing insecure Bluetooth devices for secure access. The system incurs low overhead in time and energy by performing security operations in an ASIC coprocessor, and can be shared to secure access to multiple devices, which reduces both energy and cost.