Enhanced Security of Bidirectional Communication in IoT-Driven Utility Networks Using Sertainty UXP and LoRaWAN.

LoRaWAN holds immense potential in smart applications for its low-power, long-range communication capabilities and in-built AES-128 encryption for end-to-end security. However, prior research has identified critical security vulnerabilities, most notably its use of AES-128 encryption in ECB mode, which lacks semantic security. Sertainty UXP (Unbreakable Exchange Protocol) technology enhances AES by embedding intelligence directly into the data. Sertainty Corporation's UXP encryption employs AES-256-GCM, which offers authenticated encryption with integrated access control and policy enforcement at the data level, making it a promising candidate for securing sensitive IoT data. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether Sertainty UXP can operate effectively within the strict payload and performance constraints of LoRaWAN. To benchmark performance and overhead, several encryption algorithms, including AES-256-GCM, ASCON-128, SPECK, and XTEA, were implemented for comparison. For experimentation, smart meter data is encrypted with these algorithms and transmitted over LoRaWAN using the LoRa-E5 development board by Seeed Studio. The system's performance is evaluated based on latency, payload size, and message integrity. Payloads are strategically split into LoRaWAN-compatible chunks and reassembled upon reception to meet network constraints. The results show that integrating UXP encryption within LoRaWAN is technically feasible, though it introduces additional overhead and latency. Despite this, the ability to embed robust encryption and controls directly within the data object offers significant potential to enhance end-to-end IoT security. The research concludes that Sertainty UXP can offer a viable and forward-looking solution for securing resource-constrained networks, provided implementation strategies carefully manage the trade-offs between security strength and transmission efficiency.