Review: Security and Privacy Issues of Fog Computing for the Internet of Things (IoT)

Abstract

. Internet of Things (IoT), devices, and remote data centers need to connect. The purpose of fog is to reduce the amount of data transported for processing, analysis, and storage, to speed-up the computing processes. The gap between, Fog computing technologies and devices need to narrow down as growth in business today relies on the ability to connect to digital channels for processing large amounts of data. Cloud computing is unfeasible for many internet of things applications, therefore fog computing is often seen as a viable alternative. Fog is suitable for many IoT services as it has enabled an extensive collection of benefits, such as decreased bandwidth, reduced latency, and enhanced security. However, Fog devices that are placed at the edge of the internet have met numerous privacy and security threats. This study aims to examine and highlight the security and privacy issues of fog computing through a comprehensive review of recently published literature of fog computing and suggest solutions for identified problems. Data extracted from 34 peer-reviewed scientific publications (2011–2017) were studied, leading to the identification of 49 different issues that were raised, in relation to fog computing. This study revealed a general agreement among researchers about the novelty of Fog computing, and its early stages of development, and identifies several challenges that need to be met, before its wider application and use reaches its full potential.