AquaID: Authentication for Underwater Nodes with Decentralised Identity

Abstract

The increasing pervasiveness of digital infrastructures, also extending into marine domains, makes Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) an essential tool for the development of novel marine sustainability and monitoring paradigms. Applications in sensitive scenarios may require data encryption, non-repudiation, and provenance tracking. Moreover, the broadcast nature of the underwater acoustic channel makes the task of identifying and authenticating nodes of critical importance. To meet such requirements, we introduce AquaID, a protocol for resource-constrained hardware that leverages Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs) and Decentralised Identities. It guarantees confidentiality, authentication, and integrity using low bandwidth and CPU usage, while supporting high scalability and interoperability. We validate our solution in a threefold manner: via embedded board implementation, network simulation, and sea trials using commercially-available acoustic modems and underwater nodes. We also include a cost comparison among possible DLT choices. Results show AquaID to be robust to scaling, achieving low authentication delays and overhead, thus proving suitable even for large deployments.