Improving Hardware Security for LoRaWAN

Abstract

The Internet of Things is one of the hottest topics in communications today, with current revenues of $151B, around 7 billion connected devices, and an unprecedented growth expected for next years. LoRaWAN is one of the most outstanding technologies for massive IoT communications due to features such as large coverage and low power consumption. In this context, where end-devices may be placed on remote or unattended locations, physical security is a major concern. In this paper, a cost-effective solution is proposed to provide hardware security to LoRaWAN end-devices. A 3GPP-like security scheme is designed and implemented as a proof-of-concept using real equipment. By using this solution, end-devices will be no longer vulnerable to security threats such as impersonation or cloning attacks.