IoTSec: A Lightweight and Holistic IoT Security Based on IoT Data Contextualisation and Homomorphic Encryption

Abstract

The Internet of Things incorporates billions of sensors, cameras, RFID and other machines that observe and/or affect the physical world, as well as IoT applications that harvest and analyse IoT data in the cloud, edge computers, and/or the IoT devices themselves. To realise its full potential IoT must ensure the security of the IoT data and related applications that support the IoT-based services and products that are provided to their consumers. Although IoT devices, networks, and computing resources support robust security standards and include related mechanisms that can secure IoT data within the scope of these IoT components, compositions of such point security solutions often fail to ensure the security of IoT data across the IoT ecosystem. In this article we will discuss the main challenges in securing IoT data acquisition, communication, analysis, actuation and illustrate the need for IoT security solutions that are both holistic and lightweight. In addition, we propose a holistic and lightweight IoT security mechanism that via a novel combination of contextualisation with homomorphic encryption prevents harmful outcomes from lack of IoT data security.