Lightweight capability-token for consent-based authentication protocol for smart sensor nodes

Abstract

This paper highlights a lightweight token-based authentication scheme for smart sensor nodes in a smart home network. The token holds the capability information of a sensor node in a secure and trusted environment. The capability information adds another layer of security by incorporating the user's consent when registering in the network. The registration is a one-time activity in the node's life cycle, but it prevents unauthorized users or devices from intruding into the network. The method also mitigates the user and token impersonation attacks in the network. It does not need any manual intervention like entering user-id or password, which helps in seamless authentication, identity management, and secure communication. It also incorporates the position of the sensor nodes during the authentication phase. The capability-token mitigates the threats that arise from an independent node attempting to intrude whose position is near the smart home environment. The authors have demonstrated the communication time gain and compared it with the existing methods.