Context-Aware Password Management For Multi-User IoT Environments: A Systematic Review Of Secure Key Rotation And Expiry Mechanisms

Abstract

The rapid proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices across smart homes, healthcare systems, and industrial environments has intensified the need for robust and adaptive security mechanisms in multi-user settings. Traditional password management approaches remain widely deployed; however, they suffer from persistent vulnerabilities including weak password selection, credential reuse across services, and the absence of structured lifecycle management mechanisms. This paper presents a systematic review of existing authentication, password management, and key lifecycle strategies applicable to multi-user IoT ecosystems. The study follows a structured review methodology to analyze and synthesize contemporary research contributions in the areas of context-aware authentication, secure key rotation, password expiry mechanisms, and lightweight cryptographic implementations. A comparative evaluation of diverse security techniques—such as one-time passwords (OTPs), zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP), symmetric and public-key cryptographic schemes, and machine learning-based threat detection models—is conducted with particular attention to device resource constraints, scalability challenges, and operational efficiency. Conceptual models, analytical tables, and comparative charts are utilized to highlight trade-offs between security strength, computational overhead, and system performance. The review identifies significant research gaps in integrating dynamic key rotation and expiry mechanisms into holistic, context-aware security architectures tailored for multi-user IoT environments. Finally, the paper outlines future research directions aimed at developing scalable, resource-efficient, and adaptive password lifecycle management frameworks for next-generation IoT systems. management frameworks for next-generation IoT systems.