Abstract: In edge control systems (ECSs), edge computing demands more local data processing power, while traditional industrial programmable logic controllers (PLCs) cannot meet this demand. Thus, edge intelligent controllers (EICs) have been developed, making their secure and reliable operation crucial. However, as EICs communicate sensitive information with resource-limited terminal devices (TDs), a low-cost, efficient authentication solution is urgently needed since it is challenging to implement traditional asymmetric cryptography on TDs. In this paper, we design a lightweight authentication scheme for ECSs using low-computational-cost hash functions and exclusive OR (XOR) operations; this scheme can achieve bidirectional anonymous authentication and key agreement between the EIC and TDs to protect the privacy of the devices. Through security analysis, we demonstrate that the authentication scheme can provide the necessary security features and resist major known attacks. Performance analysis and comparisons indicate that the proposed authentication scheme is effective and feasible for deployment in ECSs.

Key words: Edge intelligent controller (EIC); Edge control systems (ECSs); Terminal devices (TDs); Anonymous authentication; Lightweight authentication

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