SCION next-generation secure and available internet for IoT

SCION provides path-aware networking and hidden path routing, as well as enhanced bandwidth availability and reliability through multipath operation and path-optimization. Obfuscating network behaviors to mitigate against probing, scanning, and inference attacks are built into SCION by design. SCIONLab, modeled after PlanetLab, allows the global research community to reap the benefits of improved security begun at CyLab and to leverage it for academic and commercial use. Our IoT builds of SCION are particularly useful to protect communications at risk of probing and misuse as bot-nets and data harvesting.

The SCION Next-Generation Internet Architecture was conceived at CyLab by Professor Adrian Perrig and his students. Short for Scalability, Control, and Isolation On Next-generation networks, SCION implements Path-Aware Networking. Senders and receivers can choose from multiple paths to provide: 

• Communication guarantees in spite of DDoS attacks, BGP prefix hijacking, etc.
• Network attacks are made impossible by design.
• Dramatically higher availability, also thanks to multipath communication.
• New security properties: Geo-fencing, path verification.
• Highly secure PKI to ensure correctness of certificates.
• Improved communication efficiency: increased bandwidth and decreased latency.

The Internet of Things is a great opportunity for SCION to provide secure IoT solutions. IoT devices use weak authentication, unencrypted communication, unauthorized access to smart homes, automobiles, medical devices, and others. Security is the biggest concern in adopting IoT technology, so our aim is to provide easy to use network security for IoT. IoT support in SCION continues in ongoing projects.

SCION IoT Platforms

Using the public, global, education-based, SCIONLab network we have enabled users of IoT platforms to join SCIONLab Attachment Points globally with full disk images for inexpensive Raspberry Pi and Odroid low-power IoT platforms. Once enrolled in SCIONLab, there are already a host of tools developed to run command-line and browser based network experiments, including a Go-language API interface to build applications.

• SCIONLab Coordinator
• SCIONLab Apps Source
• SCION Infrastructure Source
• SCION IoT Platform Manual Install

Future Work

Incorporating these SCION IoT device controls into IoT secure home/office gateways with secure, easy web and smart-phone controls are an ongoing project. If you would like to collaborate, please contact Adrian Perrig or Michael Farb.