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International Symposium on Modelling and Implementation of Complex Systems

MISC 2020: Modelling and Implementation of Complex Systems pp 33–47Cite as

Communication-Flow Privacy-Preservation in 6LoWPANs-Based IoT Networks

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Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ((LNNS,volume 156))

Abstract

An Internet of Things (IoT) network is a worldwide network connecting billions of devices with each other over the Internet. IPv6 Low power Wireless Personal Area Network (6LoWPAN) is an enabling technology for a complete end-to-end IoTs architecture. A 6LoWPAN contains small devices that communicate with other small devices or other powerful devices over the Internet. Communication privacy is a feature that allows the communicating users to make sure that there is no other entity that is spying on them. As such, it is a very important feature for the success of IoT applications. While traditionally privacy has been dealt with by hiding the content of the data content exchanged between the communicating pairs through the use of encryption, it has been shown that this cannot be sufficient in many application scenarios. It has been shown that metadata information such as the ones included in packet headers for the sake of the operation of communication protocols, such as IP addresses, reveal information such as the identities of the communicating pairs, which in some applications is considered critical information.

While there are many surveys in the literature dealing with communication privacy in the IoT, to our knowledge, little has been done on communication-flow identifiers privacy preservation in 6LoWPAN-based IoT networks. In this survey, we thoroughly expose the prime focus of the existing solutions on communication identifiers privacy in 6LoWPANs, clarifying the important information about: at which layer solutions operate, based on which protocol, against which attack, for which application, based on simulations or real prototypes, which sensitive information or communication identifiers are protected, which Privacy-Preserving Technique (PPT) is used, and how long is the duration of the protection against privacy attacks. We provide a comprehensive coverage on all of these aspects focusing on the main design guidelines that drove existing solutions while showing their merits and shortcomings.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. LESIA Laboratory, Computer Science Department, Mohamed Khider University, Biskra, Algeria

    Asma Iman Kouachi & Abdelmalik Bachir

Authors
  1. Asma Iman Kouachi
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  2. Abdelmalik Bachir
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Correspondence to Asma Iman Kouachi or Abdelmalik Bachir .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of New Information and Communication Technologies, University of Constantine 2, Constantine, Algeria

    Salim Chikhi

  2. Faculty of Technology, University of Saida, Saida, Algeria

    Abdelmalek Amine

  3. Faculty of New Information and Communication Technologies, University of Constantine 2, Constantine, Algeria

    Allaoua Chaoui

  4. Faculty of New Information and Communication Technologies, University of Constantine 2, Constantine, Algeria

    Djamel Eddine Saidouni

  5. Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of El Oued, El-Oued, Algeria

    Mohamed Khireddine Kholladi

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Kouachi, A.I., Bachir, A. (2021). Communication-Flow Privacy-Preservation in 6LoWPANs-Based IoT Networks. In: Chikhi, S., Amine, A., Chaoui, A., Saidouni, D., Kholladi, M. (eds) Modelling and Implementation of Complex Systems. MISC 2020. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 156. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58861-8_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58861-8_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-58860-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-58861-8

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