Energy-Efficient CP-ABE for Constrained IoT Devices: A Cooperative Offloading Solution

The rapid growth of IoT devices has heightened the need for secure data management while addressing their resource constraints. Attribute-Based Encryption (ABE) offers fine-grained access control but is often too computationally intensive for resource-limited IoT devices. Prior research has explored optimizations like algorithm refinement, pre-computation, and encryption outsourcing. Building on these efforts, this paper introduces a lightweight ABE framework designed for resource-constrained IoT devices. The proposed solution employs a coordinator-based solution to offload heavy computations to cooperative nodes, reducing on-device processing overhead. Experimental results show that our solution reduces energy consumption compared to existing lightweight ABE solutions and extending IoT sensor lifespans without compromising security. The framework optimizes energy use and security by dynamically managing computational offloading and adjusting sensor power modes (active, sleep, idle), making it ideal for energy-sensitive IoT deployments.