Internet Access for LoRaWAN Devices Considering Security Issues

Low-Power Wide-Area Networks (LP-WAN) are becoming the cornerstone for IoT connectivity these days, given the long range coverage and the number of devices that could be interconnected through a single gateway. Among LP-WAN proposals, LoRaWAN (Long Range WideArea Network) is receiving special attention, because of its adaptability to actual transmission and scenario conditions and its license-free operation. However, current LoRaWAN specifications especially address physical and link-level communication requirements,leaving network and higher network protocols aside. Moreover, security mechanisms currently considered suffer from lack of flexibility, requiring the pre-sharing of cryptographic material. In the Future Internet, IPv6 support for end-to-end thing connectivity is essential, and this entails a challenge for this kind of constrained networks. In this paper, we address the connectivity issue through an implementation of an IPv6 adaptation mechanism that is being defined at the IETF and we explore the security flaws that could be solved by the integration of an Internet Key Exchange (IKE)-flavoured solution especially adapted to constrained communication technologies. The security features proposed intend to cover the negotiation of key material for LP-WAN technologies above the link layer, avoiding manual and insecure configurations.