"Making Internet of Things More Secure"

Internet of Things (IoT) devices have become prevalent due to wearable fitness trackers, automotive key fobs, and smart home devices. Most of the information flow via IoT devices is vulnerable to attacks, as IoT security has not kept pace with technological advancements. Shantanu Chakrabartty, the Clifford W. Murphy Professor in the Preston M. Green Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering, and Mustafizur Rahman, a doctoral student in his lab, developed a prototype method to improve the security of these communications by using a Synchronized Pseudo-Random-Number Generator (SPRNG). The solution could be used to verify and authenticate secure IoT transactions. Chakrabartty and Rahman created a prototype synchronized self-powered timer array that is secure against manipulation, snooping, and side-channel attacks by using quantum-mechanical electron tunneling. They used Fowler-Nordheim (FN) quantum tunneling, in which electrons leap over a triangle barrier and alter its shape in the process. Chakrabartty stated that FN tunneling provides a far simpler and more energy-efficient link than existing methods that are too complex for computer modeling. Since it is self-powered, it is secure against attacks. This article continues to discuss the prototype method developed to better secure communications using an SPRNG.

Washington University in St. Louis reports "Making Internet of Things More Secure"