Lightweight Authentication System Based on Zero Knowledge Proof for IoT Devices

Abstract

In the rapidly expanding field of the Internet of Things, ensuring secure and efficient communication between IoT devices and servers is crucial. This paper henceforth designs a lightweight authentication system under the Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP) protocol, utilizing the HMAC hashing algorithm for the improvement of security measures put in place. This system is designed to enable the authentication of IoT devices without sending their actual password, thus avoiding risks due to password interception at the point of authentication. For instance, if using the phrase "God is great" as the password, one can get it hashed into HMAC with this method and still be assured that it is secure even if proof is intercepted. Simulations in the simulator shall evaluate the system’s effectiveness and performance. Performance metrics include accuracy, response time, memory consumption, latency, and throughput. The presented results intend to serve lightweight device authentication mechanisms for IoT devices such that the trustworthiness of IoT devices is achieved without hampering their performance. The presented results are also shown to outperform conventional methods.