Eavesdropping Vulnerability and Countermeasure in Infrared Communication for IoT Devices

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Computer Science
• Cybersecurity

Background:

• Infrared (IR) communication is widely used for consumer electronics, enabling simple remote control operations.
• The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) into devices like smart TVs introduces new security vulnerabilities.
• IR remotes can potentially expose sensitive user information (e.g., credit card numbers) when used with internet-connected devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the security risks associated with IR communication in IoT environments.
• To assess the eavesdropping potential of IR signals based on reception sensitivity.
• To propose and evaluate a practical, cost-effective countermeasure against IR signal eavesdropping.

Main Methods:

• Conducted experiments to measure IR reception sensitivity concerning distance and position.
• Evaluated the transmission range and signal penetration capabilities (e.g., through curtains).
• Developed and implemented an XOR-based encryption method using a microcontroller's timer for key generation.

Main Results:

• IR remote signals demonstrated a transmission distance exceeding 20 meters.
• Infrared rays were found to penetrate common household materials like curtains, enabling eavesdropping.
• The proposed encryption method effectively prevents eavesdropping with minimal processing overhead.

Conclusions:

• IR communication in smart homes is vulnerable to eavesdropping, posing risks to sensitive user data.
• A novel, low-cost encryption technique using dynamic key generation from a remote's timer offers a practical solution.
• The XOR-based encryption is efficient and suitable for resource-constrained IR remote devices.