A technical review of wireless security for the internet of things: Software defined radio perspective

Abstract

The increase of cyberattacks by using the Internet of Things devices has exposed multiple vulnerabilities not only on devices but also on IoT infrastructures. Now, small devices can affect different networks and their services. This paper presents a review of the vulnerabilities on wireless technologies that gives connectivity to IoT, and the experiences using Software Defined Radio SDR for implementing wireless attacks to IoT technologies are assessed. A systematic literature review was conducted. The types of vulnerabilities and attacks that can affect the wireless technologies that stand the IoT ecosystem and SDR platforms were compared, and recent methods to overcome these attacks were identified. On the IoT reference model, the perception layer was identified as the most vulnerable. Most attacks at this level occur due to hardware limitations, physical device exposure, and heterogeneity of technologies. Future cybersecurity systems based on SDR technologies have notable advantages due to their flexibility and adaptability to new communication technologies and their potential to develop advanced tools. However, the IoT’s cybersecurity challenges are so complex that merging SDR hardware with cognitive and intelligent techniques is highly advisable. Some of these techniques could include deep learning to adapt mitigation systems to rapid technological changes.

Keywords

• Internet of things
• Software Defined Radio (SDR)
• Cybersecurity
• Radio communication
• Cyberattack
• Vulnerabilities