SaTC: CORE: Medium: SATTVA: Soil-Assisted Things Trust Verification for Ag-IoT

Agricultural Internet-of-Things (Ag-IoT) technologies integrate advanced wireless communication capabilities into intelligent farming devices to boost productivity, profitability, and environmental sustainability. However, the rapid deployment and complex nature of Ag-IoT have left many security and privacy risks un-addressed. As a result, the vulnerabilities of Ag-IoT networks could be potentially exploited. To secure the diverse and complex technologies deployed on farms, proposed solutions need to scale and be highly interoperable. This project develops new techniques that enable scalable and interoperable secure operations for wireless enabled devices in a modern farm setting. The project includes three research efforts (1) scalable trust establishment for chirp spread spectrum (CSS) modulation-based wireless nodes, (2) soil-adaptive trust establishment for underground IoT nodes, and (3) soil-assisted scalable trust establishment for over-the-air IoT nodes. The research outcomes of this project will be disseminated through publications and new course modules. The project promotes cybersecurity and wireless technology in workforce development and broadens the participation of students from underrepresented groups in computing. The team proposes a solid plan for K-12 outreach activities such as cybersecurity day for high school students. This project is jointly funded by the NSF SaTC program, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.