Credit: ctl
NIST researcher Dr. Eugene Song and Mr. Sridhar Kowdley from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) co-presented on Public Safety Systems at the IEEE IoT Cybersecurity Assessment Program Helps Ensure IoT System Security Webinar, held on December 5, 2024. This webinar overviewed the preparation for cybersecure IoT devices, cybersecurity best practices and DHS Public Safety System cybersecurity requirements for IoT sensors, and a framework document that outlines the protection of devices and certification to help make devices secure.
In the presentation, DHS S&T program manager Mr. Kowdley introduced the DHS research strategic, context, and priority, and described the public safety Internet of Things (IoT) requirements: cybersecurity and interoperability. Dr. Song presented a four-layer IoT sensor devices interoperability testing framework. Dr. Song explained that sensors are used everywhere in IoT and play an important role in real-time monitoring and control applications, and that interoperability is a significant challenge for IoT sensor devices – millions or even billions of sensors in IoT are provided by different manufacturer/vendors, they may use different wired and wireless connectivity, adopt different standard communication protocols, and even their own proprietary protocols.
Dr. Song pointed out that interoperability testing & certification (T&C) is a solution to overcome IoT sensor devices interoperability challenges. To support interoperability T&C, a four-layer IoT sensor devices interoperability testing framework was proposed, including:
- Device layer: sensor and actuator devices.
- Network layer: sensor gateway devices and other types of IoT devices.
- Platform/cloud layer: different popular IoT platforms and cloud services.
- Application layer: IoT applications, such as smart home, public safety, smart city et al.
In this testing framework, the three kinds of interoperability and interoperability testing between four layers are as follows:
- Device interoperability testing between network layer and device layer.
- Network interoperability testing between platform/cloud layer and network layer.
- Platform interoperability testing between application layer and platform/cloud layer.
With this interoperability testing framework, a set of different interfaces/standardized communication protocols between layers will be identified, and then interoperability testing methods/procedures/specifications between layers will be developed based on the interfaces/protocols identified to help achieve and assure interoperability of IoT sensor devices.
