FWF - ReSIT - Realizing a Secure Internet of Things

The Internet of Things envisions a world in which every object is able to collect and to store data as well as to communicate with each other over the Internet. A key technology for realizing this vision is Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). This technology consists of small microprocessors connected to an antenna (called tags) which can be easily attached to objects in the field. These tags typically do not require a dedicated power supply since they can draw their power from the electromagnetic field of a reader. In this project, we want to go the last step towards realizing the Internet of Things: Integrating passive RFID devices into the Internet by defining and implementing a protocol that allows accessing specific tags from an arbitrary client. Already in the design phase, it is vital to consider security aspects of the solution. Sensitive data that is collected by these tags has to be protected against unauthorized access from users in the Internet. Since tags have to operate in resource-constrained environments, lightweight network and cryptography solutions are required to provide those Web-based services. Thus, our goal is to develop a lightweight solution to establish a secure Internet layer upon the RFID-communication layer, which allows a secure end-to-end connection between tags and clients. Next to RFID-based objects, special readers are required which act as routers between the Internet and the RFID-based network. As an outcome of this project, we target a proof of concept demonstrator that consists of tag emulators and readers that provide the capability of securely sharing information with other objects and/or clients over the Internet. We plan to disseminate the scientific results on international conferences to discuss design decisions and to contribute to the research community. The demonstrator will be used to present the feasibility of RFID-based objects to enhance the current Internet with all of its advantages such as autonomously gathering information and data out of the field. We are confident that once the potential of this new technology is shown, we can attract industry partners to cooperate on further research and exploitation.