Implementing cryptography in LoRa based communication devices for unmanned ground vehicle applications

Abstract

In this study, a Long Range (LoRa) based bidirectional secured communication link for controlling and monitoring the robots from a remote location is proposed. The security features and structure of the LoRa is build upon the standard protocol called LoRa wide area networks (LoRaWAN). To take advantage of these features, LoRa devices/end modules need to be connected to a network server through a LoRa gateway. However, for certain military scenarios like war zones, terrorist attack sites, disaster sites etc., the availability of standard network cannot be guaranteed, and therefore, the security features available with LoRaWAN protocol cannot be guaranteed. To overcome this critical limitation, a LoRa based secured device for establishing a bidirectional communication link between the base station and the robots without relying on any network is proposed. To secure the exchanged data, a cryptographic protocol is developed, and confidentiality, authenticity and integrity of the transmitted data between the base station and the robot are ensured. The protocol is then implemented with a pair of LoRa devices and its functionality is tested from a remote location by controlling and monitoring a Pioneer-P3Dx robot from a distance of 1.2 miles. The test shows that the proposed cryptographic protocol can securely control and track the robot from a remote location.

Designing Secure Digital Energy Platforms

“…At the early stages of digitalization in the power sector, additional security measures linked to physical communication protocols are required to ensure the safety of smart meters and other IoT devices [26]. Furthermore, the remainder of the broader value chain of power markets and systems includes several extremely volatile components that must be secured by cybersecurity measures.…”

A Novel LoRa LPWAN-Based Communication Architecture for Search & Rescue Missions

“…Therefore, the standard Lo-RaWAN® protocol's security features might not be accessible. Manuel et al [26] proposed a cryptography protocol that can be used with LoRa end devices to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity (CIA) of data. This cryptography protocol has been used in this work as a security feature for ensuring data security.…”

“…The set of algorithms discussed below enables the coordination of Rescuer from the base station. All data communicated between the base station and the robot are secured using our earlier cryptography protocol discussed in [26].…”

“…Once it receives a packet, it will read it and then decrypt it. If the data is found to be hacked, a message will be displayed on the OLED saying that the data was hacked [26]. If the integrity of the incoming data is validated, it will send it to the serial port of the LoRa32 module.…”

Regenerative and LoRa Based Trooper Monitoring System for Armed Forces

“…It is very economical to be used by armed forces as it consumes rudimentary power for transmission of signals and for communication purpose at a low data rate and at higher coverage area [6] .This helps the individual armed forces to avoid the usage of cellular network which not only consumes a lot of power for transmission but also the rate of drainage of stored charge in battery is more compared to LoRa network at the cost of sacrificing higher data rate which is absent in our proposed methodology as we used LoRa WAN. Its coverage area as mentioned is in range of kilometers [7]. Transmission is bidirectional in nature with transmission and reception of signals that are done simultaneously between armed force section and the base station section .Its extensible range of transmission makes it suitable to be used at armed forces and military land based industry .It uses gateway nodes which acts as a intermediary nodes for transmission at very long distance.…”