A Lightweight Trust-Based Security Architecture for RPL in Mobile IoT Networks

Military communities have come to rely heavily on commercial off the shelf (COTS) standards and technologies for Internet of Things (IoT) operations. One of the major obstacles to military use of COTS IoT devices is the security of data transfer. In this paper, we successfully design and develop a lightweight, trust-based security architecture to support routing in a mobile IoT network. Specifically, we modify the RPL IoT routing algorithm using common security techniques, including a nonce identity value, timestamp, and network whitelist. Our approach allows RPL to select a routing path over a mobile IoT wireless network based on a computed node trust value and average received signal strength indicator (ARSSI) value across network members. We conducted simulations using the Cooja network simulator and Wireshark to validate the algorithm against stipulated threat models. We demonstrate that our algorithm can protect the network against Denial of Service (DoS) and Sybil based identity attacks. We also show that the control overhead required for our algorithm is less than 5% and that the packet delivery rate improves by nearly 10%.

I. Introduction

The use of Internet of Things (IoT) enabled devices for military operations has gained traction in recent years due to its rapid speed to market and cost effectiveness [1]. The widespread adoption of IoT networks will significantly impact military communities as sensors become further miniaturized and energy efficient [2]. In recent years, various military communities have moved away from using proprietary technologies to using commercial off the shelf (COTS) devices for IoT operations [3] [4].