Reconciling Efficiency and Security of the Internet of Things: A Recursive InterNetwork Architecture (RINA) Approach

Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized our lives by connecting devices to the internet, enabling automation and simplifying daily routines. However, as IoT is built upon the foundation of older network architectures and protocols, such as the Internet, its integration has brought forth significant challenges, particularly in achieving both transport layer efficiency and security at the same time. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the current network stacks used in IoT and highlights the issues they face in this regard. We propose a novel architectural approach leveraging the Recursive InterNetwork Architecture (RINA) to address these challenges. We thoroughly evaluate how RINA's unique combination of recursion and networking can effectively reconcile the efficiency-security trade-off inherent in IoT networks; this has the potential to overcome the limitations of existing architectures and resolving the long-standing issue with Performance Enhancing Proxies (PEPs) that cannot operate on encrypted connections. We demonstrate the practical application of RINA through two use cases: a smart home environment, where RINA provides a unified networking framework, reducing the complexities of integrating diverse systems, and a healthcare patient monitoring scenario, where RINA ensures seamless integration of legacy devices while maintaining the advantages of the RINA architecture, including security and efficient data transmission. The paper concludes with a comprehensive discussion on potential future research topics, paving the way for an efficient and secure IoT ecosystem.