Lightweight Three-Factor Sensor and User Authentication for RPL-Based 6TiSCH Networks

Wireless sensor networks are integral to Industrial Internet of Things applications, enabling efficient data collection and analysis in factories, production facilities, and energy management systems. Networks running IETF 6TiSCH protocol enhance these capabilities by offering low power consumption, high reliability, and precise timing. However, ensuring security, data integrity, and authorized access in these networks is critical. This study proposes a lightweight authentication and session key agreement protocol tailored for 6TiSCH networks. This protocol employs XOR operations, personal passwords, and hash functions to authenticate the nodes to the network and secure the link layer communication. The protocol ensures secure network inclusion and user access to nodes while maintaining low power consumption. Quantitative evaluations demonstrate the protocol’s effectiveness, achieving a 25% reduction in energy consumption, a 20% reduction in the duration of the authentication process, and a 15% decrease in the total number of bits transmitted compared to existing methods. Tests that are run on Contiki OS using COOJA simulator validate the protocol’s performance, confirming its suitability for IIoT applications by ensuring robust security and efficient resource utilization. Furthermore, the proposed scheme’s scalability makes it adaptable to a wide range of IIoT scenarios, and its implementation simplicity facilitates easy integration into existing systems. These characteristics underscore the protocol’s potential to significantly enhance the security and efficiency of IIoT networks.