SMARTSHIELD: PRIVACY-DRIVEN DATA AUTHENTICATION FOR IOT ENVIRONMENTS

Abstract

The rapid proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has introduced significant security and privacy challenges, particularly in the context of sensitive data exchange. Ensuring secure and efficient authentication while preserving user privacy is a critical requirement for modern IoT systems. This study presents SmartShield, an enhanced privacy-preserving data authentication framework specifically designed for IoT environments. The proposed scheme combines lightweight cryptographic techniques, secure key management, and adaptive verification protocols to achieve robust security without imposing significant computational or communication overhead. By integrating privacy-preserving mechanisms, SmartShield prevents unauthorized access and minimizes the risk of data leakage while maintaining system efficiency. Experimental evaluation demonstrates that the framework achieves high authentication accuracy, low latency, and strong resistance against common cyberattacks, including replay, impersonation, and man-in-themiddle attacks. The results highlight SmartShield as a practical and scalable solution for secure IoT deployments.