Securing Communication Standards of IoT-based Smart Irrigation Systems in Palestine

Abstract

The agricultural sector is one of the most vital sectors in Palestine, where water resource management faces increasing challenges due to water scarcity, limited infrastructure, and the continued use of inefficient traditional irrigation methods. In recent years, Internet of Things-based smart irrigation systems have emerged as an effective solution to improve water use efficiency. However, these systems are exposed to growing security threats, particularly at the communication level, especially in environments that rely on low-power wireless networks. This thesis aims to secure communication standards for IoT-based smart irrigation systems in Palestine by designing and implementing a secure and flexible communication framework that considers the specific characteristics of the Palestinian environment, including the geographical distribution of agricultural lands, variable network coverage, and limited energy resources. A practical smart irrigation system was designed and implemented based on LoRa technology, integrating multiple security mechanisms such as data encryption, secure key management using hardware-based secure elements, and built-in LoRa protection features, such as message headers, to mitigate cyber-attacks, including replay attacks. In addition, an alternative system based on the MQTT protocol was designed to operate when direct Internet connectivity is available, enhance system flexibility, and compare different communication standards in terms of performance and security. When deployed over the TLS protocol, MQTT provides encrypted communication, authentication, and data integrity with low latency, making it suitable for connecting smart irrigation systems to cloud servers and data analytics platforms. The results indicate that combining long-range low-power communication technologies such as LoRa with Internet-based protocols like MQTT improves the reliability and security of smart irrigation systems while maintaining efficient energy consumption. This hybrid approach enhances water resource management and supports data-driven decision-making in Palestine and agricultural sustainability.