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Privacy and Security in Wireless Networks and the Emerging Internet of Things

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A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Intelligent Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 8014

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Prof. Dr. Naveen Chilamkurti

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Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Interests: blockchain; authentication; IoT; fog computing; 5G; cloud security and wireless communications
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a worldwide network of devices connected by the Internet, and it necessitates the interconnection of billions or trillions of smart objects. IoT devices (nodes) can collect, store, analyze, and share data about themselves and their surroundings. However, the implementation of IoT technology poses significant security and privacy issues; theft of data, monitoring, and tracking are major concerns. Authentication, integrity, and secrecy are significant challenges to the preservation of privacy and security in the IoT.

Computational intelligence (CI) concerns the creation and development of intelligent algorithms that can solve real-time issues at the lowest cost. The basic purpose of CI is to augment natural and artificial intelligence to provide competitive human-required outcomes. Quantum cryptography, artificial intelligence, neural networks, natural computational techniques, bio-inspired computational techniques, fuzzy logic techniques, genetic algorithms, and intelligent multi-agents are just a few examples of computationally intelligent mechanisms for providing privacy and security in the IoT.

Wireless capabilities are included in the majority of IoT devices (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth). Due to significant improvements in IoT technology, the number of IoT devices is predicted to exceed 100 billion by 2022, attracting the attention of attackers looking to profit from the advantages of this new technology. The exposure of resource-constrained IoT devices to the perils of the Internet opens the door to a slew of possible security and privacy threats for the IoT, including assaults on IoT systems and unauthorised access to end-users' personal information. As the Internet of Things (IoT) expands into practically every area of society, including retail, transportation, healthcare, energy supply, and smart cities, security breaches may be disastrous for users and the physical world. Such dangers may erode public trust in the deployment of IoT technologies.

Although existing works have addressed security challenges in network and distributed systems, we need to focus more on the security and privacy issues that arise from deploying IoT in practical applications, with a particular focus on wireless IoT devices, infrastructures, wireless networking, and applications. The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide the academic and industrial communities with an excellent venue to present and discuss technical challenges and recent advances related to security and privacy techniques for wireless IoT powered by artificial intelligence.

Potential topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

Novel AI and quantum-based architectures for IoT enable computing devices for 5G and 6G.
AI-powered control and composition of intelligent wireless networks enabled sensor devices.
Intelligent Computing Communication empowered for wireless networks with security
Algorithms and protocol design for intelligent wireless networks.
Nano-networking protocols for intelligent communication systems.

Prof. Dr. Naveen Chilamkurti
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 737 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Rivest–Shamir–Adleman-Based Robust and Effective Three-Factor User Authentication Protocol for Healthcare Use in Wireless Body Area Networks

by Kaijun Liu, Guosheng Xu, Qiang Cao, Chenyu Wang, Jingjing Jia, Yuan Gao and Guoai Xu

Sensors 2023, 23(21), 8992; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23218992 - 05 Nov 2023

Viewed by 890

Abstract

In healthcare, wireless body area networks (WBANs) can be used to constantly collect patient body data and assist in real-time medical services for patients from physicians. In such security- and privacy-critical systems, the user authentication mechanism can be fundamentally expected to prevent illegal access and privacy leakage occurrences issued by hacker intrusion. Currently, a significant quantity of new WBAN-oriented authentication protocols have been designed to verify user identity and ensure that body data are accessed only with a session key. However, those newly published protocols still unavoidably affect session key security and user privacy due to the lack of forward secrecy, mutual authentication, user anonymity, etc. To solve this problem, this paper designs a robust user authentication protocol. By checking the integrity of the message sent by the other party, the communication entity verifies the other party’s identity validity. Compared with existing protocols, the presented protocol enhances security and privacy while maintaining the efficiency of computation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Privacy and Security in Wireless Networks and the Emerging Internet of Things)

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14 pages, 1691 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Temporal Data Correlation Providing Enhanced Dynamic Crypto-Ransomware Pre-Encryption Boundary Delineation

by Abdullah Alqahtani and Frederick T. Sheldon

Sensors 2023, 23(9), 4355; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23094355 - 28 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1160

Abstract

Ransomware is a type of malware that employs encryption to target user files, rendering them inaccessible without a decryption key. To combat ransomware, researchers have developed early detection models that seek to identify threats before encryption takes place, often by monitoring the initial calls to cryptographic APIs. However, because encryption is a standard computational activity involved in processes, such as packing, unpacking, and polymorphism, the presence of cryptographic APIs does not necessarily indicate an imminent ransomware attack. Hence, relying solely on cryptographic APIs is insufficient for accurately determining a ransomware pre-encryption boundary. To this end, this paper is devoted to addressing this issue by proposing a Temporal Data Correlation method that associates cryptographic APIs with the I/O Request Packets (IRPs) based on the timestamp for pre-encryption boundary delineation. The process extracts the various features from the pre-encryption dataset for use in early detection model training. Several machine and deep learning classifiers are used to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed solution. Preliminary results show that this newly proposed approach can achieve higher detection accuracy compared to those reported elsewhere. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Privacy and Security in Wireless Networks and the Emerging Internet of Things)

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22 pages, 2262 KiB

Open AccessArticle

AES Based White Box Cryptography in Digital Signature Verification

by Piyush Kumar Shukla, Amer Aljaedi, Piyush Kumar Pareek, Adel R. Alharbi and Sajjad Shaukat Jamal

Sensors 2022, 22(23), 9444; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22239444 - 02 Dec 2022

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 2082

Abstract

According to the standard paradigm, white box cryptographic primitives are used to block black box attacks and protect sensitive information. This is performed to safeguard the protected information and keys against black box assaults. An adversary in such a setting is aware of the method and can analyze many system inputs and outputs, but is blind to the specifics of how a critical instantiation primitive is implemented. This is the focus of white-box solutions, which are designed to withstand attacks that come from the execution environment. This is significant because an attacker may obtain unrestricted access to the program’s execution in this environment. The purpose of this article is to assess the efficiency of white-box implementations in terms of security. Our contribution is twofold: first, we explore the practical implementations of white-box approaches, and second, we analyze the theoretical foundations upon which these implementations are built. First, a research proposal is crafted that details white-box applications of DES and AES encryption algorithms. To begin, this preparation is necessary. The research effort planned for this project also includes cryptanalysis of these techniques. Once the general cryptanalysis results have been examined, the white-box design approaches will be covered. We have decided to launch an investigation into creating a theoretical model for white box, since no prior formal definitions have been offered, and suggested implementations have not been accompanied by any assurance of security. This is due to the fact that no formal definition of “white box” has ever been provided. In this way lies the explanation for why this is the situation. We define WBC to encompass the security requirements of WBC specified over a white box cryptography technology and a security concept by studying formal models of obfuscation and shown security. This definition is the product of extensive investigation. This state-of-the-art theoretical model provides a setting in which to investigate the security of white-box implementations, leading to a wide range of positive and negative conclusions. As a result, this paper includes the results of a Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) study which may be put to use in the real world with signature verification. Possible future applications of White Box Cryptography (WBC) research findings are discussed in light of these purposes and areas of investigation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Privacy and Security in Wireless Networks and the Emerging Internet of Things)

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Review

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43 pages, 4940 KiB

Open AccessReview

Cybersecurity in Internet of Medical Vehicles: State-of-the-Art Analysis, Research Challenges and Future Perspectives

by Chidambar Rao Bhukya, Prabhat Thakur, Bhavesh Raju Mudhivarthi and Ghanshyam Singh

Sensors 2023, 23(19), 8107; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23198107 - 27 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1626

Abstract

The “Internet-of-Medical-Vehicles (IOMV)” is one of the special applications of the Internet of Things resulting from combining connected healthcare and connected vehicles. As the IOMV communicates with a variety of networks along its travel path, it incurs various security risks due to sophisticated cyber-attacks. This can endanger the onboard patient’s life. So, it is critical to understand subjects related to “cybersecurity” in the IOMV to develop robust cybersecurity measures. In this paper, the goal is to evaluate recent trends and state-of-the-art publications, gaps, and future outlooks related to this research area. With this aim, a variety of publications between 2016 and 2023 from “Web-of-Science” and “Scopus” databases were analysed. Our analysis revealed that the IOMV is a niche and unexplored research area with few defined standards and frameworks, and there is a great need to implement robust cybersecurity measures. This paper will help researchers to gain a comprehensive idea of this niche research topic, as it presents an analysis of top journals and highly cited papers, their challenges and limitations, the system model and architecture of the IOMV, related applicable standards, potential cyber-attacks, factors causing cybersecurity risks, various artificial intelligence techniques for developing potential countermeasures, the assessment and parameterisation of cybersecurity risks, constraints and challenges, and future outlooks for implementing cybersecurity measures in the IOMV. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Privacy and Security in Wireless Networks and the Emerging Internet of Things)

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27 pages, 1738 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Comprehensive Study on Cyber Attacks in Communication Networks in Water Purification and Distribution Plants: Challenges, Vulnerabilities, and Future Prospects

by Muhammad Muzamil Aslam, Ali Tufail, Ki-Hyung Kim, Rosyzie Anna Awg Haji Mohd Apong and Muhammad Taqi Raza

Sensors 2023, 23(18), 7999; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23187999 - 20 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1506

Abstract

In recent years, the Internet of Things (IoT) has had a big impact on both industry and academia. Its profound impact is particularly felt in the industrial sector, where the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), also known as Industry 4.0, is revolutionizing manufacturing and production through the fusion of cutting-edge technologies and network-embedded sensing devices. The IIoT revolutionizes several industries, including crucial ones such as oil and gas, water purification and distribution, energy, and chemicals, by integrating information technology (IT) with industrial control and automation systems. Water, a vital resource for life, is a symbol of the advancement of technology, yet knowledge of potential cyberattacks and their catastrophic effects on water treatment facilities is still insufficient. Even seemingly insignificant errors can have serious consequences, such as aberrant pH values or fluctuations in the concentration of hydrochloric acid (HCI) in water, which can result in fatalities or serious diseases. The water purification and distribution industry has been the target of numerous hostile cyber security attacks, some of which have been identified, revealed, and documented in this paper. Our goal is to understand the range of security threats that are present in this industry. Through the lens of IIoT, the survey provides a technical investigation that covers attack models, actual cases of cyber intrusions in the water sector, a range of security difficulties encountered, and preventative security solutions. We also explore upcoming perspectives, illuminating the predicted advancements and orientations in this dynamic subject. For industrial practitioners and aspiring scholars alike, our work is a useful, enlightening, and current resource. We want to promote a thorough grasp of the cybersecurity landscape in the water industry by combining key insights and igniting group efforts toward a safe and dependable digital future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Privacy and Security in Wireless Networks and the Emerging Internet of Things)

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