SWORD: A Secure LoW-Latency Offline-First Authentication and Data Sharing Scheme for Resource Constrained Distributed Networks

Files

2601.12875v1.pdf (1.06 MB)

Links to Files

http://arxiv.org/abs/2601.12875

Permanent Link

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2601.12875
 http://hdl.handle.net/11603/41850

Collections

UMBC Information Systems Department
UMBC Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Department
UMBC Faculty Collection
UMBC Student Collection

Author/Creator

Author/Creator ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2426-9883
 https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2536-1643
 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3865-9217

Date

2026-01-19

Type of Work

conference papers and proceedings
postprints
Text

Department

Program

Citation of Original Publication

Rights

This item is likely protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Unless on a Creative Commons license, for uses protected by Copyright Law, contact the copyright holder or the author.

Subjects

Computer Science - Cryptography and Security
Computer Science - Distributed, Parallel, and Cluster Computing

Abstract

While many resource-constrained networks, such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Internet of Vehicles (IoV), are inherently distributed, the majority still rely on central servers for fast authentication and data sharing. Blockchain-based solutions offer decentralized alternatives but often struggle to meet the stringent latency requirements of real-time applications. Even with the rollout of 5G, network latency between servers and peers remains a significant challenge. To address this, we introduce SWORD, a novel offline-first authentication and data-sharing scheme designed specifically for resource-constrained networks. SWORD utilizes a proximity-based clustering approach to enable offline authentication and data sharing, ensuring low-latency, secure operations even in intermittently connected scenarios. Our experimental results show that SWORD outperforms traditional blockchain-based solutions while offering similar resource efficiency and authentication latency to central-server-based solutions. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive security analysis, demonstrating that SWORD is resilient against spoofing, impersonation, replay, and man-in-the-middle attacks.