Secure Protocol Translation Framework with Dynamic Switching for Heterogeneous IoT Networks

One-to-Many Secure Notification Responses for the IoT Using CoAP and Group OSCORE

Design and Implementation of a Secure MQTT Architecture for IoT Systems Using TLS and Token-Based Authorization

MQTT is widely adopted in IoT deployments but offers no built-in encryption or strong authentication. Existing solutions such as the IETF ACE-MQTT-TLS profile require dedicated authorization servers and dynamic token flows, raising deployment complexity for resource-constrained environments. This paper presents a practical secure MQTT architecture that combines Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.3 with statically provisioned JSON Web Token (JWT) authorization, targeting ESP32-S3 and ESP32-C6 microcontrollers with hardware cryptographic acceleration. A Python-based broker management graphical user interface (GUI) automates Mosquitto configuration and JWT issuance, removing manual setup errors. Measured on real hardware, TLS 1.3 connection time is 315-380 ms and steady-state throughput decreases by only 9%, with an additional heap memory requirement of approximately 42 KB. The results confirm that multi-layered IoT security—encompassing mutual authentication, AES-GCM encrypted transport, and fine-grained access control—is feasible on commodity microcontrollers without specialized infrastructure.

Edge-Assisted Timed Efficient Stream Loss-Tolerant Authentication over the Constrained Application Protocol (TESLA-CoAP) for Low-Latency and Scalable Sixth Generation (6G) Internet of Things (IoT) Networks

The rapid deployment of sixth-generation (6G) Internet of Things (IoT) networks demands lightweight authentication mechanisms that provide low latency, high scalability, and robust security for resource-constrained devices operating in dynamic wireless environments. Conventional authentication approaches based on Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS), blockchain-assisted architectures, and Generic Bootstrapping Architecture (GBA)-based schemes introduce significant computational complexity, communication overhead, synchronization delays, and infrastructure dependencies, limiting their suitability for large-scale edge-assisted IoT environments. This paper proposes Lightweight Timed Efficient Stream Loss-Tolerant Authentication over the Constrained Application Protocol (L-TESLA-CoAP), a lightweight and infrastructure-independent authentication framework that integrates adaptive TESLA delayed-key authentication, CoAP communication, edge-assisted synchronization, replay-aware synchronization, SHA3-HMAC-based symmetric authentication, and rotating pseudonym identities to provide continuous packet-level authentication. The proposed framework was implemented and evaluated using a Python-based simulation environment under constrained 6G IoT communication scenarios with network sizes ranging from 50 to 1000 IoT devices. The comparative evaluation against CoAP, DTLS, TLS, Blockchain-CoAP, and GBA-Hybrid TESLA shows that the proposed framework achieves low authentication latency (approximately 0.8–1.3 s) and low energy consumption (approximately 60–75 mJ) while maintaining packet-loss recovery capability, reduced communication overhead, reduced computation time, low memory consumption, and authentication throughput. Furthermore, the proposed framework provides resilience against replay, packet injection, impersonation, synchronization manipulation, and denial-of-service attacks through adaptive synchronization and delayed key disclosure. These results indicate that L-TESLA-CoAP provides an efficient, scalable, and lightweight authentication solution suitable for next-generation edge-assisted 6G IoT applications.

Low-cost modular IoT gateway with LLM-assisted design-time firmware generation

An LLM-assisted design-time programming workflow for generating Arduino-compatible firmware templates for the proposed modular gateway architecture, a flexible and extensible solution built on Arduino-compatible hardware to support the integration of wireless sensors, communication technologies, and cloud platforms.

Securing IoT and Wireless Sensor Network Communications: A Comprehensive Performance Analysis of Layer 2/3 Tunneling and VPN Technologies in Linux-Based Edge Computing

The rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) into industrial and critical infrastructures demands robust, secure, and efficient networking paradigms. This paper evaluates the performance and security implications of integrating Layer 2 and Layer 3 tunneling mechanisms with Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) and advanced VPN technologies (WireGuard, IPsec, OpenVPN) within the Linux kernel. We provide a rigorous mathematical modeling of network costs and overheads, focusing on the impact of Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) variations. Experimental results obtained via OpenWrt-based edge nodes demonstrate that while cryptographic protection is vital, improper MTU configuration can lead to catastrophic throughput degradation. We propose optimization strategies to ensure resilient data transmission in constrained IoT environments.

Smart Energy-Aware HMAC-BLAKE2s based PEGASIS Routing Protocol for IoT-Integrated Next-Generation Wireless Sensor Networks

Next-generation Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) necessitate routing protocols that are both energy-efficient and resilient to emerging cyber threats. Traditional PEGASIS (Power-Efficient Gathering in Sensor Information Systems)-based routing approaches primarily focus on minimizing energy consumption while often overlooking data integrity and authentication necessities. To overcome these difficulties, this study offers a smart energy-aware PEGASIS routing protocol for IoT-enabled WSN environments that incorporates HMAC-BLAKE2 security measures. PEGASIS is employed to reduction communication overhead by forming energy-optimal chains, thereby minimizing the number of long-range transmissions. To development security, the protocol incorporates HMAC (Hash-based Message Authentication Code) utilizing BLAKE2s, a fast and cryptographically strong message authentication algorithm suitable for resource-constrained devices. This integration ensures data integrity, authentication, and resistance to spoofing and tampering attacks. A key innovation of this work is the modification of the standard PEGASIS protocol to include energy-aware chain construction and dynamic leader selection based on both residual and harvested energy levels. Besides, a Residual Energy-based Chain Leader Election Algorithm (RECLEA) is proposed to extend node lifetime and maintain balanced energy distribution throughout the network. In terms of latency, throughput, Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR), and energy economy, MATLAB simulation results demonstrate notable gains over the conventional PEGASIS and RECLEA protocols. Experimental findings show that the proposed smart energy-aware HMAC-BLAKE2s-based PEGASIS routing protocol provocatively developments performance. Energy consumption is decreased to 3.42 J, representing a reduction of approximately 27.5% associated to baseline PEGASIS (4.72 J). The Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR) progresses to 95.8%, reflecting an development of 10.7% over the baseline (85.1%), while network lifetime is extended to 1689 rounds, representing an progress of approximately 46.9% connected to 1150 rounds in conventional PEGASIS. Additionally, the integration of HMAC-BLAKE2s introduces less than 1% additional energy overhead, ensuring robust data authentication and integrity with negligible impact on overall network performance.