A secure data transmission framework for IoT enabled healthcare.

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Cybersecurity
• Health Informatics

Background:

• The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) enhances patient care but faces significant security and privacy challenges due to sensitive data transmission.
• Traditional key sharing methods in IoMT are vulnerable to compromise, risking data integrity and patient privacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a novel Timestamp-based Secret Key Generation (T-SKG) scheme for resource-constrained IoMT devices.
• To enhance the security of healthcare data transmission by eliminating direct key sharing.

Main Methods:

• Developed a Timestamp-based Secret Key Generation (T-SKG) scheme where keys are generated independently at patient and doctor devices.
• Simulated the T-SKG scheme using MATLAB and Java to assess its resilience against common cryptographic attacks.
• Integrated the T-SKG scheme into a healthcare framework for transmitting health vitals from the MySignals sensor kit.
• Employed the Data Encryption Standard (DES) with ECB, CBC, and CTR modes for data confidentiality.

Main Results:

• The T-SKG scheme demonstrated resilience against guessing, birthday, and brute force attacks.
• A 9% chance of key compromise was observed in guessing attacks only if the attacker knows the key sequence pattern.
• The scheme remained secure against brute force and birthday attacks within the specified timeframe.

Conclusions:

• The T-SKG scheme offers a secure and efficient method for key management in IoMT environments, particularly for resource-constrained devices.
• The proposed scheme effectively mitigates key compromise risks, enhancing the security and privacy of transmitted health data.