Zero-Knowledge Proofs based delegation authentication for Industrial Internet of Things in certificateless proxy signatures

Abstract

The growing deployment of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoTs) raises significant authentication concerns, especially in scenarios where resource-constrained devices need to delegate tasks with more powerful entities. This critical factor affects the information exchange during the delegation process between the Original User (OU) and the Proxy Signer (PS). The process of delegation communication entails the transfer of signing authority from a delegator to a PS. It enables the proxy signer to sign messages on behalf of delegator. As a result, complexity is increased significantly to enhance both the security and efficiency of communication overhead. To address these challenges in a transparent way, this article proposed and explores the utilization of Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) as an additional authentication step in certificateless proxy signature mechanism. Whereas, for security hardness, Hyperelliptic Curve (HEC) is being amalgamated using ‘Schnorr signature’. Performance analysis depicts that the proposed approach exhibits not only minimized communication overhead but also provides optimal security as compared to existing approaches.