Our last Horizon 2020 project has come to an end, marking an important period for our XLAB Research team. Over the past three years, we dove deep into the field of advanced cybersecurity for IoT systems. This effort led to the development and deployment of the ARCADIAN-IoT framework, a solution designed to address the security and privacy challenges of modern IoT and AI technologies. By leveraging our expertise in functional encryption and working with top experts from across Europe, we have elevated our knowledge and capabilities and set new standards in IoT security.
Arcadian-IoT: The robust cybersecurity framework
The development and use of advanced Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) based systems and solutions has grown rapidly in recent years and significantly impacted everything from our morning routines to businesses.
However, with these new technologies come new security and privacy concerns. To ensure that everyone benefits without facing risks, we need better ways to protect the information stored in these devices.
The ARCADIAN-IoT project tackled this challenge by developing and delivering an innovative, advanced framework for trust, security and privacy management systems. The project sped up the move towards decentralized, transparent, and user-controlled privacy in three real use cases - Industrial control systems, emergency and vigilance and medical IoT. Arcadian-IoT also improved cybersecurity awareness through a special training package.
The ARCADIAN-IoT framework includes specialized layers for identity, trust and recovery management. They are supported by layers that handle data privacy, component security, and decentralized storage using blockchain technology.
Learn more about the project and its architecture here.
Advanced Encryption and System Resilience
XLAB played a crucial role in the project, focusing on two key areas:
We developed and integrated [a Hardened encryption algorithm and library that provides low latency yet reliable encryption of data at rest, essential for the operation of IoT devices. The primary challenge was ensuring support across various platforms and systems, including mobile devices, drones and backend cloud servers. To achieve the goal, we utilized state-of-the-art functional encryption methods and created a blockchain-powered system, resulting in a highly scalable and responsive solution.
Secondly, we deployed a robust backend recovery and backup solution that automatically restores the system to its last verified secure state in the event of a system failure or security breach, ensuring operational continuity.
“XLAB’s participation in the project provided a valuable opportunity to gain expertise in a range of new and interesting technologies and approaches, especially in the field of encryption. We are already actively exploring how to integrate this newly acquired experience and knowledge into other products,” says Nejc Bat, XLAB Project Manager.
The power of collaboration
The incredible Arcadian-IoT team, comprised of twelve diverse experts from across Europe, is the foundation of the project’s success. These partners brought their combined knowledge in cybersecurity, IoT systems, encryption, data privacy, and recovery mechanisms to create a powerful force.
“One of the key motivations for being part of the research projects is the opportunity to work with high-tech international partners that give us a deep insight into their fields of expertise. This allows us to understand our users better, thus providing a better experience and outcomes,” explains Bat.
Thank you to Instituto Pedro Nunes, Atos, E-Lex, Load, Martel Innovate, RGB, Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE), BOX2M, Truphone, The University Clinic of Navarra (CUN) and University of the West of Scotland for this amazing collaboration.
