Preface
From the Cryptacus Project to the Cryptacus Book
Dear reader, we thank you for your interest in this book, which we expect will help
you gain an understanding of the state of the art in 2020 regarding the challenges
and solutions in the security of ubiquitous computing systems.
The definition of the field itself is not without controversy, but in this book
we will use the term ‘ubiquitous computing’ or ‘IoT’ to refer to generally small,
embedded devices with serious constraints in terms of memory and processing
power, typically with no batteries but with good connection capabilities and,
frequently, a number of sensors. This definition is, of course, flexible. Electronic
passports, contactless transportation cards, personal assistants such as Amazon Echo
but also new connected cars and fridges can fall within this definition.
This book is targeted to advanced undergraduate students and master’s and early
Ph.D. students who want quick, direct, authoritative, insightful exposure to the
topics covered, all generally falling under the umbrella of IoT security. Engineers
and other practitioners can also benefit from the book by getting a quick introduction
to a variety of practical security topics, their past and present solutions, and some
new and promising ideas that may play important roles in its future.
This book would not have been possible without the support of the CRYPTACUS
(Cryptanalysis in Ubiquitous Computing Systems) COST Action IC 1403, which
started in 2014 and ended in December 2018. We are particularly thankful to the EU
COST association, which was extremely positive for the community in Europe and
associated countries such as Switzerland, Turkey, and Israel, and we are particularly
grateful to the colleagues who were interested in our action.
As Chair (GA) and Vice-Chair (JH-C) we worked hard on the project, but we
enjoyed the possibilities offered for collaboration and furthering exchanges between
researchers in IoT security and cryptography in Europe. In particular, we are proud
that the CRYPTACUS Action achieved a number of successes that can be reflected
in the following figures:
• 32 short-term scientific missions
• 5 scientific meetings
v
From the Cryptacus Project to the Cryptacus Book
Dear reader, we thank you for your interest in this book, which we expect will help
you gain an understanding of the state of the art in 2020 regarding the challenges
and solutions in the security of ubiquitous computing systems.
The definition of the field itself is not without controversy, but in this book
we will use the term ‘ubiquitous computing’ or ‘IoT’ to refer to generally small,
embedded devices with serious constraints in terms of memory and processing
power, typically with no batteries but with good connection capabilities and,
frequently, a number of sensors. This definition is, of course, flexible. Electronic
passports, contactless transportation cards, personal assistants such as Amazon Echo
but also new connected cars and fridges can fall within this definition.
This book is targeted to advanced undergraduate students and master’s and early
Ph.D. students who want quick, direct, authoritative, insightful exposure to the
topics covered, all generally falling under the umbrella of IoT security. Engineers
and other practitioners can also benefit from the book by getting a quick introduction
to a variety of practical security topics, their past and present solutions, and some
new and promising ideas that may play important roles in its future.
This book would not have been possible without the support of the CRYPTACUS
(Cryptanalysis in Ubiquitous Computing Systems) COST Action IC 1403, which
started in 2014 and ended in December 2018. We are particularly thankful to the EU
COST association, which was extremely positive for the community in Europe and
associated countries such as Switzerland, Turkey, and Israel, and we are particularly
grateful to the colleagues who were interested in our action.
As Chair (GA) and Vice-Chair (JH-C) we worked hard on the project, but we
enjoyed the possibilities offered for collaboration and furthering exchanges between
researchers in IoT security and cryptography in Europe. In particular, we are proud
that the CRYPTACUS Action achieved a number of successes that can be reflected
in the following figures:
• 32 short-term scientific missions
• 5 scientific meetings
v