A Protocol-Agnostic Backscatter-Based Security Layer for Ultra-Low-Power SWIPT IoT Networks
Taki Eddine Djidjekh, Alexandru Takacs, Gaël Loubet, Lamoussa Sanogo, Daniela Dragomirescu
TLDR
This paper introduces a backscatter-based security layer for ultra-low-power SWIPT IoT, enabling secure device authentication without protocol changes.
Key contributions
- Introduces a protocol-agnostic, backscatter-based security layer for SWIPT IoT networks.
- Enables secure device authentication in battery-free nodes via rectifier-driven backscattering, avoiding RF transceivers.
- Validates robustness against replay attacks and experimentally with LoRaWAN-compatible, battery-free WSN nodes.
- Achieves secure identification, energy harvesting, and data transmission with negligible impact on node autonomy.
Why it matters
This paper offers a practical and energy-efficient solution to a critical security challenge in the growing field of SWIPT IoT. By enabling secure device authentication without altering existing protocols or increasing power consumption, it significantly enhances the trustworthiness and scalability of ultra-low-power IoT deployments. Its protocol-agnostic nature makes it widely applicable.
Original Abstract
This paper presents a lightweight, protocol-agnostic security enhancement for Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer (SWIPT) in Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Building on a backscatter-based identification mechanism, the proposed approach introduces a secure, energy-efficient layer that operates independently of communication protocols and with minimal hardware modification. A rectifier-driven backscattering scheme embedded in battery-free sensing nodes enables authentication without activating conventional RF transceivers, thereby reducing power consumption while ensuring secure device identification. To assess robustness, replay attacks are emulated on standard LoRaWAN Activation By Personalization (ABP) encryption, highlighting vulnerabilities and demonstrating the relevance of the proposed solution. The approach is experimentally validated in a real Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) using LoRaWAN-compatible, battery-free sensing nodes equipped with compact, low-profile antennas, confirming both practicality and scalability for space-constrained IoT deployments. Results show that the method achieves secure identification, reliable energy harvesting, and data transmission with negligible impact on node autonomy. The proposed approach offers a practical, energy-efficient, and scalable security framework for SWIPT-enabled IoT systems, strengthening device authentication without altering existing communication protocols or compromising power autonomy.
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