Research Projects

Strategic Theme

Security and Privacy in the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things is destined to change our lives in ways never seen before. Almost everything around us will be equipped with software, hardware and sensors and connected to the internet for efficiency and convenience. Many of these new technologies will have the ability to communicate with each other and the outer world with little boundaries. These advancements however will come at a high price for security and privacy. A comprehensive systematic review was conducted to identify the key security and privacy challenges posed by IoT. A video-based cybersecurity awareness program for IoT was developed based on the findings.

Video-enhanced Storey-telling Security Awareness

This is a collaborative project between Holmes Institute, Melbourne University, Deakin University and Oceania Cyber Security Centre (OCSC). The project aims to produce educational films on cybersecurity and Intellectual Property theft, specifically targeting corporate executive audience. The first and second episodes of the series were produced by Melbourne University and Oceania Cyber Security Centre (OCSC). The series has recently won multiple film awards. The third episode is being collaboratively developed by a team of researchers from Melbourne University and Holmes Institute. The final product will be used as an educational tool in the cybersecurity component of the MIS program.

Cyber Security Device Certification

This is a collaborative project between Holmes Institute and the National Narrowband Network (NNN Co.). NNN Co. is Australia's leading LoRaWAN network operator. The company provides platform and networking services for enterprise-level IoT devices. This project aims to define the criteria based on which IoT devices can be certified for security, as a precondition to joining LoRaWan networks. The project falls under both the strategic and technical themes of CSRIC.

Technological theme

There are currently three ongoing research projects under the theme of technology.

1. Lightweight Cryptography for IoT Devices

This is a joint research project between Holmes Institute and NNN Co. This research focuses on developing encryption methods that feature a small footprint and/or low computational complexity. It is aimed at expanding the applications of cryptography to IoT devices. A hardware platform has been built to test the wireless communication links for IoT applications. Several encryption algorithms have been proposed and tested in terms of security level, memory usage, and energy consumption. The final goal to commercialize the proposed encryption solutions for IoT devices.

2. Security Ranking for IoT Devices

This is a joint research project between Holmes Institute and NNN Co. This research focuses on determining the security risk level the IoT devices pose to the environments in which they are deployed. Most IoT devices are not developed with security in mind and are designed mainly on the basis of features and cost considerations. Standard security solutions, e.g., public-key cryptography, are largely not applicable to such devices, which results in severe security flaws. This research develops mathematical tools to derive a security rank for IoT devices that operate in different contexts and states. The proposed ranking method can be applied to the IoT device risk assessment task.

3. Wireless Security for IoT Devices

This is a joint research project between Holmes Institute and Monash University. This research focuses on developing secure and reliable communication links for IoT devices. Wireless networks are inevitable for IoT implementations. However, securing transmission over a wireless network is especially challenging, not only because of the inherently insecure nature of the medium but also because of the highly error-prone nature of the wireless environment. For most cryptosystems, the ciphertexts are sensitive to transmission errors. This research jointly designs the error correction and encryption primitives in terms of achieving secure and reliable wireless communications for IoT devices.