Securing Internet of Things Applications Using Software-Defined Network-Aided Group Key Management with a Modified One-Way Function Tree

Abstract

Group management is practiced to deploy access control and to ease multicast and broadcast communication. However, the devices that constitute the Internet of Things (IoT) are resource-constrained, and the network of IoT is heterogeneous with variable topologies interconnected. Hence, to tackle heterogeneity, SDN-aided centralized group management as a service framework is proposed to provide a global network perspective and administration. Group management as a service includes a group key management function, which can be either centralized or decentralized. Decentralized approaches use complex cryptographic primitives, making centralized techniques the optimal option for the IoT ecosystem. It is also necessary to use a safe, scalable approach that addresses dynamic membership changes with minimal overhead to provide a centralized group key management service. A group key management strategy called a one-way Function Tree (OFT) was put forth to lower communication costs in sizable dynamic groups. The technique, however, is vulnerable to collusion attacks in which an appending and withdrawing device colludes and conspires to obtain unauthorized keys for an unauthorized timeline. Several collusion-deprived improvements to the OFT method are suggested; however, they come at an increased cost for both communication and computation. The Modified One-Way Function Tree (MOFT), a novel technique, is suggested in this proposed work. The collusion resistance of the proposed MOFT system was demonstrated via security analysis. According to performance studies, MOFT lowers communication costs when compared to the original OFT scheme. In comparison to the OFT’s collusion-deprived upgrades, the computation cost is smaller.