Robust and Secure Routing Protocol Based on Group Key Management for Internet of Things Systems

Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) has significantly altered our way of life, being integrated into many application types. These applications require a certain level of security, which is always a top priority when offering various services. It is particularly difficult to protect the information produced by IoT devices from security threats and protect the exchanged data as they pass through various nodes and gateways. Group Key Management (GKM) is an essential method for controlling the deployment of keys for network access and safe data delivery in such dynamic situations. However, the huge volume of IoT devices and the growing subscriber base present a scalability difficulty that is not addressed by the current IoT authentication techniques based on GKM. Moreover, all GKM models currently in use enable the independence of participants. They only concentrate on dependent symmetrical group keys for each subgroup, which is ineffective for subscriptions with very dynamic behavior. To address these issues, this study proposes a unique Decentralized Lightweight Group Key Management (DLGKM) framework integrated with a Reliable and Secure Multicast Routing Protocol (REMI-DLGKM), which is a reliable and efficient multicast routing system for IoT networks. REMI-DLGKM is a cluster-based routing protocol that qualifies for faster multiplex message distribution within the system. According to simulation results, this protocol is more effective than cutting-edge protocols in terms of end-to-end delay, energy consumption, and packet delivery ratio. The packet delivery ratio of REMI-DLGKM was 99.21%, which is 4.395 higher than other methods, such as SRPL, QMR, and MAODV. The proposed routing protocol can reduce energy consumption in IoT devices by employing effective key management strategies.