Security in the integration of low-power Wireless Sensor Networks with the Internet: A survey

The integration of low-power wireless sensing and actuating devices with the Internet will provide an important contribution to the formation of a global communications architecture encompassing Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN), and to enable applications using such devices designed to bring unprecedented convenience and economical benefits to our life. Such applications also take place in the context of our current vision on an Internet of Things (IoT), which promises to encompass heterogeneous devices and communication technologies, including WSN. Due to the characteristics of the devices in WSN and to the requirements of applications, low-power wireless communications are employed and the functionalities supported must be carefully balanced against the limited resources at the disposal of applications. Low-power communication technologies are also currently being designed with the purpose of supporting the integration of WSN with the Internet and, as in isolated WSN environments, security will be a fundamental enabling factor of future applications using Internet-integrated WSN. Although various surveys currently exist addressing security mechanisms for WSN environments, our goal is to analyze how security may be addressed as an enabling factor of the integration of low-power WSN with the Internet, in the context of its contribution to the IoT. We analyze the current research and industry proposals supporting this integration, together with the security solutions and mechanisms designed in its context. Our discussion is supported by an analysis on the attack and threat model against Internet-integrated WSN, and on the security requirements to consider in this context. We believe that a survey with such goals may provide an important contribution to readers interested in embracing this important area of research and ours is, as far as our knowledge goes, the first article with such goals.