A Holistic Systems Security Approach Featuring Thin Secure Elements for Resilient IoT Deployments.

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Cybersecurity
• Embedded Systems

Background:

• Internet of Things (IoT) systems present unique security challenges due to scale, power, and evolving threat landscapes.
• Existing security measures in IoT devices are often limited, necessitating new threat assessment approaches.
• Interdependencies between IoT devices require specialized methods for comprehensive security analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a security-focused design methodology for IoT systems.
• To address the specific security vulnerabilities in IoT devices and their interconnections.
• To present a practical application of the proposed methodology using an intelligent solar panel system.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the STRIDE/DREAD methodologies for vulnerability identification in IoT systems.
• Implemented a secure element (tamper-proof microprocessor chip) for secure data storage and processing.
• Employed an asymmetric cryptographic scheme (B-SPEKE) for source validation and authentication.

Main Results:

• The secure element offers low power demand and a small footprint, suitable for IoT requirements.
• End-to-end, stand-alone data validation and encryption proved cost-effective by performing validation once.
• The threat model provided a framework for identifying known threats and planning mitigations.

Conclusions:

• A security-focused design approach, incorporating secure elements and robust cryptographic methods, is crucial for IoT systems.
• The developed methodology effectively addresses IoT-specific security concerns, enhancing system resilience.
• The use case demonstrates the practical feasibility and cost-effectiveness of securing IoT data transmission and authentication.