Side-by-Side Analysis of Key Exchange Algorithms for Load Optimized Security in MQTT Protocol

Abstract

The Information Technology has evolved and we have reached at an era of Internet of Things (IoT). According to International Telecommunication Union’s Global Standards Initiative (GSI), it is the network of all kinds of ‘things’ embedded with electronics, sensors, actuators, software etc. Things connected in open Internet poses high security risks. Majority of these devices use Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol for exchanging information. Most of the devices with limited storage and computing power are connected using MQTT. Since the protocol doesn't provide any mechanism for encryption, the security aspect of the protocol is really weak. This paper describes the need for empowering security in MQTT. In this research work, we benchmark different cryptographic algorithms and propose the best possible algorithm to enable higher level of security in MQTT. This work further demonstrates how to use the proposed algorithm to enable lightweight key exchange mechanism among MQTT devices.