IPsec the Realm for Secure Communication in Internet of Things

Abstract: Internet of Things (IoT) provides many services in Industrial, Medical, commercial areas etc. Therefore, implementing secured communication in the IoT is essential among many other issues. An IPv6 network interconnects multiple computers and a large number of smart devices. IPsec is secured network therefore it is reasonable to explore the option of using IPsec as a security mechanism for the IoT. Smart devices are generally added to the Internet using IPv6 over Low-power Wireless Personal Area Networks (6LoWPAN). Therefore, to provide security for the IoT IPsec mechanism and IPsec extension of 6LoWPAN is important. In this paper, we discussed such a 6LoWPAN/IPsec mechanism and its extension of this approach. We describe our 6LoWPAN/IPsec mechanism with IEEE 802.15.4 link-layer security. This paper shows that IPsec is a feasible option for securing the IoT in terms of packet delivery, packet size, energy consumption, memory usage, processing time and network lifetime.

Keywords: Internet of Things; 6LoWPAN; IPv6; IEEE 802.15.4 Security.