6LoWPAN multi-layered security protocol based on IEEE 802.15.4 security features

Security should be an integral part of IoT communication stack facing vulnerabilities imposed by protocol diversity. In this paper, we propose a new multilayer security protocol based on the security specifications of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, operating at both the MAC and the 6LoWPAN adaptation layers in order to ensure all essential security aspects to broad public and industrial acceptance. Measurements demonstrate that this alternation between end-to-end and hop-by-hop security protects the entire network against internal and external attacks with minimum overhead, energy consumption, and delay; and a robust hardware implementation.