A Robust and Secure Data Access Scheme for Satellite-Assisted Internet of Things With Content Adaptive Addressing

Zhiqiang Ruan, Xu Yang, Haibo Luo, Xuechao Yang, Yuan Miao, Xinyi Huang, Xun Yi

Abstract: This article investigates data communication and access control in satellite-assisted Internet of Things (IoT). In particular, given the characteristics of an open communication environment, a multilayer heterogeneous network, and a time-varying topology in the space-air-ground-sea integrated network (SAGSIN), traditional data communication and security mechanisms built upon the TCP/IP architecture may not fully leverage their potential. Current networks are primarily responsible for end-to-end transmission of binary data, lacking the capability to semantically perceive and handle dynamic and decentralized content. This leads to significant performance gaps in the network. In other words, it is better to retrieve expected information directly from the network and perform content protection on it with low dependency. We propose data access scheme with robust and secure content communication (DARS), a data access scheme with robust and secure content communication for Satellite-assisted IoT (S-IoT), leveraging the architectural benefits of content centric networks and rich attributes of IoT. DARS enables automatic data retrieval and access control without additional mechanisms, such as online certificate distribution, homogeneous network, and other presuppositions, which facilitates DARS to be applied in various environments. Additionally, DARS integrates a combination of techniques, including semantic representation, cryptographic technologies, and content caching, from a network-centric perspective. Theoretical analysis and experimental simulations show that DARS simplifies system operations and offers a viable solution for satellite-assisted IoT-based applications.