Hardening IoT Sensing Devices for Artwork Tracking

Internet-of-Things (IoT) device security is a key concern within distributed networks. A lack of it may

lead to privacy breaches, data theft, and even physical harm in critical applications [1]. To mitigate

these risks, IoT device hardening is essential. Device hardening involves the implementation of robust

security measures and practices at both the hardware and software levels, ensuring that IoT devices

are resilient against cyber threats [2]. As the IoT ecosystem continues to expand, the critical

importance of device hardening is underscored by the ever-evolving threat landscape. IoT endpoints

often have limited computational resources and lack robust security mechanisms, making them

attractive targets for malicious actors [3].

Often, factory security configurations are not enough to mitigate common security & privacy

challenges, as emphasized in [4, 5, 6]. Hence, this thesis aims to contribute to existing IoT device

hardening research by developing more fine-grained security measures. One particular measure of

interest involves the design and implementation of a secure pairing process between an IoT endpoint

and a gateway for artwork tracking purposes. Artwork tracking with IoT devices is performed with

sensors attached to artworks to collect data on their location, condition, and environmental factors,

enabling real-time tracking, security, and preservation of valuable art collections [7].

References

[1] Schiller, E., Aidoo, A., Fuhrer, J., Stahl, J., Ziörjen, M., & Stiller, B. (2022). Landscape of IoT security.

Computer Science Review, 44, 100467.

[2] Hassan, W. H. (2019). Current research on Internet of Things (IoT) security: A survey. Computer

networks, 148, 283-294.

[3] Shiaeles, S., & Kolokotronis, N. (Eds.). (2021). Internet of things, threats, landscape, and

countermeasures. CRC Press.

[4] Kelly, C., Pitropakis, N., McKeown, S., & Lambrinoudakis, C. (2020). Testing and hardening IoT

devices against the Mirai botnet. In 2020 International conference on cyber security and protection of

digital services (cyber security) (pp. 1-8). IEEE.

[5] Rae, J. S., Chowdhury, M. M., & Jochen, M. (2019, May). Internet of things device hardening using

shodan. io and shovat: A survey. In 2019 IEEE international conference on electro information

technology (EIT) (pp. 379-385). IEEE.

[6] Nasir, M. H., Arshad, J., & Khan, M. M. (2023). Collaborative device-level botnet detection for

internet of things. Computers & Security, 129, 103172.

[7] Küffer, J., Rodrigues, P., & Stiller, B. (2023). ARTIS-Art Tracking with IoT and Blockchain.