Location-Aware Wi-Fi Authentication Scheme Using Smart Contract.

Area of Science:

• Cybersecurity
• Wireless Networking
• Blockchain Technology

Background:

• Increasing use of advanced wireless technology in Internet of Things (IoT) devices leads to significant security threats.
• Existing Wi-Fi authentication methods (passwords, digital certificates) present management and security challenges, being prone to cracking or complex issuance.
• Secure authentication is crucial for IoT devices as the first line of defense in wireless networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel location-aware authentication scheme for secure Wi-Fi network authentication of IoT devices.
• To leverage smart contracts for enhanced security, credibility, and immutability in the authentication process.
• To address the limitations of current authentication methods in the context of IoT security.

Main Methods:

• A two-phase scheme: registration (key generation, device information linking) and authentication (location verification).
• Utilizes smart contracts to ensure the integrity and non-repudiation of the authentication process.
• Employs secondary authentication concepts to bolster device verification.

Main Results:

• The proposed scheme effectively ensures secure Wi-Fi authentication for IoT devices.
• Analysis of attack models confirms the scheme's assurance against various threats.
• Simulation results indicate acceptable overhead, demonstrating practical feasibility.

Conclusions:

• The location-aware smart contract-based authentication scheme significantly enhances security for IoT devices in Wi-Fi networks.
• The method offers a robust and manageable solution compared to traditional password or certificate-based approaches.
• This approach provides greater security assurance for the growing landscape of connected IoT devices.