QR code based mutual authentication protocol for Internet of Things

Abstract

In the Internet of Things (IoT), security is important and challenging; however, it is often neglected. This paper presents a smart home scenario, together with its requirements for a secure and user friendly mutual authentication protocol. Protocols developed for the internet are often not applicable to the Internet of Things due to hardware limitations and physical inaccessibility of devices. To tackle the challenge of a usable and secure device authentication in the area of the IoT, a QR code based mutual authentication protocol is proposed. The protocol supports two operation modes to handle different hardware configurations with respect to cameras and displays. Both operation modes are secure against attacks within the proposed attacker model. The protocol can also be used to exchange the public keys between two parties, in order to establish a secure channel without a trusted third party.