Fujitsu Laboratories, the University of Tokyo and Toho University, have developed an authentication technology for Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices that reduces the time needed for authentication in the Transport Layer Security (TLS) cryptographic protocol by nearly 80%. The TLS protocol, which is widely used in PCs and other devices, employs public key cryptography. TLS requires a certain amount of processing capacity, so it had been difficult to apply to IoT devices, which, with their simplified structure, had taken a second or more for authentication. Now, by reducing the processing load of the core authenticated key exchange method, and by accelerating the arithmetic operation speed, the research team succeeded in developing authentication technology that could accommodate TLS.

Envisioning actual applications, the team performed field trials of the newly developed technology by connecting it to an energy management system for air conditioning equipment in the Green University of Tokyo Project (GUTP).

With this technology, IoT devices, which have lower processing capacity than PCs, can use communications technology with the same level of safety as that used by PCs. This enables the IoT to be used even in applications requiring security and privacy.

With the aim of practical application in fiscal 2017, Fujitsu Laboratories will work with Toho University to provide IEEE 1888 communications software to bring this technology to organizations participating in the GUTP, and will work to expand its applications.

Details on this technology will be released at SCIS2016, the Symposium on Cryptography and Information Security, opening today in Kumamoto, Japan.