Strong authentication on smart wireless devices

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel authentication scheme for smart wireless devices using Identity-Based Cryptography combined with NFC technology, aiming to enhance security in home wireless communications.

Contribution

It introduces a new authentication method integrating IBC and NFC for secure device pairing and communication in wireless home environments.

Findings

Preliminary prototypes show promising security and usability results.

The scheme simplifies device pairing using NFC and IBC.

Initial implementation on multiple mobile platforms is successful.

Abstract

The rapid deployment of wireless technologies has given rise to the current situation where mobile phones and other wireless devices have become essential elements in all types of activities, including in the home. In particular, smartphones and laptops are used for wirelessly sharing photos and documents, playing games, browsing websites, and viewing multimedia, for example. This work describes a proposal for both desktop and mobile applications that use Identity-Based Cryptography (IBC) to protect communications between smart wireless devices in the home. It combines the use of IBC for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth communication, with the promising Near Field Communication (NFC) technology for secure authentication. The proposed scheme involves NFC pairing to establish as public key a piece of information linked to the device, such as a phone number or an IP address. In this way, such information can be then used in an IBC scheme for peer-to-peer communication. This is a work in progress, but preliminary implementations of prototypes on several mobile platforms have already produced promising results.