Secure Key Distribution Scheme in IoT Networks Exploiting Channel State Information

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a popular technology that refers to a network of internet-connected physical devices that interact to perform tasks with minimal human intervention. However, as these networks expand, ensuring their security becomes challenging due to the communication broadcasting nature and extensive data exchanges. Traditional cryptographic security methods may not be optimal due to the constrained resources of IoT devices. In this study, we propose a novel secure key distribution scheme from a physical layer perspective suitable for an IoT environment. The proposed scheme takes advantage of the availability of Channel State Information (CSI) at both ends of the communication to enhance security. Specifically, CSI is utilized to precode the key symbols during the key distribution process. Additionally, the scheme employs the xor operation to add an extra layer of difficulty for potential eavesdroppers that attempt to retrieve the transmitted key symbols. The performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated in terms of Key Error Rate (KER) at legitimate nodes and eavesdroppers by using Monte Carlo simulations.