Читать книгу Service Level Management in Emerging Environments - Nader Mbarek - Страница 23

Identification refers to establishing the identity of the user of a service. It is based on the principle of each user being individually assigned an identifier. Authentication follows identification and enables the user to prove their identity. The user should use an authenticator or a secret code, which only they know. Authentication does not give the right of access. It is the access control that guarantees this privilege if authentication has been successful (ITU-T 1991). Authentication mechanisms can offer several advantages to the IoT environment. Thus, through the identification and authentication mechanisms, the IoT environment takes into account robust devices that are able to reduce the risk of intrusion and avoid violations (Li 2017).

Further, conventional identification and authentication methods must be adapted to meet the requirements of the IoT environment in terms of scalability, the large number of entities, etc. Several organizations use digital certificates based on public key infrastructure (PKI) for device identification and authentication operations (Allerin 2018). However, certain adaptations must be carried out in order to consider this solution in the IoT context. First of all, the PKI infrastructure must be able to effectively support the process of issuing digital certificates in large numbers and at high speeds. For example, a cloud-based PKI is a more economical and realistic method for the scale required by an IoT environment. Second, digital certificates have a limited lifespan, which means they have an expiry date. In the context of an IoT environment, some use cases may require short-term certificates while many others require certificates with a longer lifetime. A certificate with a longer lifetime is required when a device needs to be authenticated on the basis of a long-term certificate. IoT project managers must then carefully determine the lifespan required for digital certificates and determine the associated advantages and disadvantages. On the other hand, the certificates, which are considered critical elements with their own life cycle, must be managed in an efficient manner. The manual tracking of these certificates is not feasible in an IoT environment. Thus, PKI must be associated with certificate management providers along with a scalable platform. These platforms must then be capable of managing specific IoT use cases (Allerin 2018).