Application of Attribute-Based Encryption in Military Internet of Things Environment

Area of Science:

• Cybersecurity
• Military Intelligence
• Distributed Systems

Background:

• The Military Internet of Things (MIoT) requires secure data handling in federated environments for joint operations.
• Challenges include acquiring, analyzing, and disseminating vast data from diverse IoT devices securely and reliably.
• Establishing trust and secure communication between partner IoT devices is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the data-centric security paradigm in federated MIoT.
• To implement fine-grained access control mechanisms for secure data dissemination.
• To present a comprehensive solution for secure data dissemination in federated MIoT.

Main Methods:

• Utilized distributed registry technology (Hyperledger Fabric) and a message broker (Apache Kafka).
• Implemented data processing microservices using the Kafka Streams API.
• Designed and implemented attribute-based encryption (ABE) cryptography for data access control, combining pairings-based elliptic curve cryptography and lightweight cryptography.

Main Results:

• Developed a comprehensive solution for secure data dissemination in federated MIoT.
• Confirmed the suitability of ABE cryptography for federations of military networks.
• Experimental studies show the cryptographic scheme is viable for battlefield networks, balancing security and performance.

Conclusions:

• The proposed ABE-based solution effectively ensures secure data dissemination and fine-grained access control in federated MIoT environments.
• The combination of technologies provides a robust framework for military coalition operations.
• The cryptographic scheme offers a practical and efficient approach for modern military applications.