State Machine-Based Security Fusion for Resource-Constrained Environments

A growing range of devices has difficulty in implementing strong cryptographic algorithms. Radio frequency IDs and sensors, for instance, generally lack the processing power and memory to perform these operations in an efficient and timely manner. Recently, a new paradigm in security, called security fusion, was introduced for resource-constrained environments. In this approach, strong security properties are synthesized from weaker point-to-point properties, thereby minimizing the resource requirements at each node without compromising system-level security. In this paper, we describe a state machine-based architecture and pertinent protocols to realize security fusion. Furthermore, we analyze these protocols for their security capabilities.