IoT Authentication Protocols: Challenges, and Comparative Analysis

Alsheavi, Amar; Hawbani, Ammar; Othman, Wajdy; Wang, Xingfu; Qaid, Gamil R. S.; Zhao, Liang; Al-Dubai, Ahmed; Liu, Zhi; Ismail, A.S.; Haveri, Rutvij H.; Alsamhi, Saeed H.; Al-Qaness, Mohammed A. A.

Abstract

In the ever-evolving information technology landscape, the Internet of Things (IoT) is a groundbreaking concept that bridges the physical and digital worlds. It is the backbone of an increasingly sophisticated interactive environment, yet it is a subject of intricate security challenges spawned by its multifaceted manifestations. Central to securing IoT infrastructures is the crucial aspect of authentication, necessitating a comprehensive examination of its nuances, including benefits, challenges, opportunities, trends, and societal implications. In this paper, we thoroughly review the IoT authentication protocols, addressing the main challenges such as privacy protection, scalability, and human factors that may impact security. Through exacting analysis, we evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of existing authentication protocols and conduct a comparative performance analysis to evaluate their effectiveness and scalability in securing IoT environments and devices. At the end of this study, we summarize the main findings and suggest ways to improve the security of IoT devices in the future.

Citation

Alsheavi, A., Hawbani, A., Othman, W., Wang, X., Qaid, G. R. S., Zhao, L., Al-Dubai, A., Liu, Z., Ismail, A., Haveri, R. H., Alsamhi, S. H., & Al-Qaness, M. A. A. (2025). IoT Authentication Protocols: Challenges, and Comparative Analysis. ACM computing surveys, 57(5), Article 116. https://doi.org/10.1145/3703444

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 28, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jan 9, 2025
• Publication Date: 2025
• Deposit Date: Nov 1, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 9, 2025
• Journal: ACM Computing Surveys
• Print ISSN: 0360-0300
• Electronic ISSN: 1557-7341
• Publisher: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 57
• Issue: 5
• Article Number: 116
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3703444
• Keywords: Authentication Protocols, Key Agreement, Security, Privacy Concerns, Blockchain, Machine learning, Cyber Threats in IoT, Scalability in Authentication, Internet of Things