LoRaDANCE: Using the DNS for Mutual Authentication Without Pre-Shared Keys

In this paper, we propose and implement LoRaDANCE, a mechanism that allows a LoRaWAN end device to join a LoRaWAN network with reinforced security compared to the standard LoRaWAN protocol. LoRaDANCE uses the DNS-Based Named Entities (DANE) protocol to enable mutual authentication between the end device and the backend servers. It also uses asymmetric cryptography to avoid the use of pre-shared secret keys. We illustrate LoRaDANCE, implement it on real devices, and evaluate its performance. Our results show that while LoRaDANCeallows devices to successfully join the network with enhanced security, it introduces an overhead, particularly in terms of join process duration and power consumption. However, the overhead is deemed acceptable, given the significant security improvements that LoRaDANCE provides.