Internet of Nano-Things (IoNT): A Comprehensive Review from Architecture to Security and Privacy Challenges

Abstract

Throughout the course of human history, owing to innovations that shape the future of mankind, many technologies have been innovated and used towards making people’s lives easier. Such technologies have made us who we are today and are involved with every domain that is vital for human survival such as agriculture, healthcare, and transportation. The Internet of Things (IoT) is one such technology that revolutionizes almost every aspect of our lives, found early in the 21st century with the advancement of Internet and Information Communication (ICT) Technologies. As of now, the IoT is served in almost every domain, as we mentioned above, allowing the connectivity of digital objects around us to the Internet, thus allowing the remote monitoring, control, and execution of actions based on underlying conditions, making such objects smarter. Over time, the IoT has progressively evolved and paved the way towards the Internet of Nano-Things (IoNT) which is the use of nano-size miniature IoT devices. The IoNT is a relatively new technology that has lately begun to establish a name for itself, and many are not aware of it, even in academia or research. The use of the IoT always comes at a cost, owing to the connectivity to the Internet and the inherently vulnerable nature of IoT, wherein it paves the way for hackers to compromise security and privacy. This is also applicable to the IoNT, which is the advanced and miniature version of IoT, and brings disastrous consequences if such security and privacy violations were to occur as no one can notice such issues pertaining to the IoNT, due to their miniaturized nature and novelty in the field. The lack of research in the IoNT domain has motivated us to synthesize this research, highlighting architectural elements in the IoNT ecosystem and security and privacy challenges pertaining to the IoNT. In this regard, in the study, we provide a comprehensive overview of the IoNT ecosystem and security and privacy pertaining to the IoNT as a reference to future research.

A Systematic Review on Privacy-Aware IoT Personal Data Stores

“…Year Systematic Domain Main Goal Ogonji et al [15] ✓ IoT Privacy and security threats, attack surface, vulnerabilities, and countermeasures in IoT. Sarwar et al [25] x IoT and Fog Privacy preservation in IoT and fog-enabled IoT Zainuddin et al [16] x IoT Applications Privacy threats in IoT applications Islam et al [17] ✓ IoT and Big Data Types of privacy attacks and solutions in the IoT and Big Data contexts Zarandi et al [20] x Smart Farming Big Data privacy in smart farming Hireche et al [21] x IoMT Privacy and security in IoMT Shahid et al [23] x IoHT Data breaches and legal regulations in IoHT Alabdulatif et al [24] x IoNT Overview of IoNT and its security and privacy issues Torre et al [18] ✓ IoT Devices Privacy-preservation techniques for IoT devices Tokas et al [26] x IoT Privacy-enhancing technologies and GDPR-specific privacy principles Demertzi et al [27] x IIoT Privacy requirements in the Industrial IoT Fallatah et al [28] x PDS PDS and its advantages and disadvantages Zubaydi et al [29] ✓ IoT and Blockchain Blockchain solutions for IoT security and privacy issues Asqah and Moulahi [30] x…”

“…A number of these studies have aimed to provide an understanding of the problem in general IoT applications [15][16][17][18][19]. In contrast, others have concentrated on specific IoT environments such as smart farming [20], the Internet of Medical Things [21,22], the Internet of Healthcare Things [23], and the Internet of Industrial Things [24]. Conversely, other authors have dedicated their work to reviewing studies exploring diverse privacy protection solutions.…”

Design of Smart Flood Risk Management System: A Brunei Darussalam Vision 2035 (WAWASAN 2035) for Climate Resilience and Adaptation

“…The Internet of Things (IoT) plays an integral role in various aspects of our daily lives, spanning entertainment, home automation, automotive technologies, healthcare, industrial sectors, sports, and more [22]. The widespread availability of IoT technologies simplifies routine tasks, enhances interactions with our environment, and expands our social connections with people and objects [23].…”

Internet of Things and Wireless Sensor Networks for Smart Agriculture Applications: A Survey

“…While this location data is indispensable for optimizing farming practices, it raises substantial privacy challenges. Unauthorized access to precise location data can violate the privacy of farmers and stakeholders, potentially leading to misuse or security breaches [521], [524], [525]. Robust privacy-preserving mechanisms and compliance with privacy regulations are essential to address these concerns and ensure the responsible and ethical use of location data in IoT-WSNs-based SA [72], [526], [527].…”