Electronics Fundamentals and IoT SecuritySyllabus

Subject code

IF-2213y-EN

Credits

5

Student workload

105

Semester

Spring semester

Academic year

3

Subject type

Mandatory

Form of education

Full-time

Language of instruction

English

In-class hours

a) 30 hours – lectures; b) 15 hours – seminars

Out-of-class hours

a) 65 hours – Individual Student Work (ISW); b) 40 hours – Independent Student Work (ISW)

The course is designed to develop students’ theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the fundamental principles of electronics, microcontrollers, the structure of Internet of Things (IoT) systems, and the implementation of security measures for such systems. The course covers the operating principles of electronic components and microcontrollers, IoT device architectures, methods of interaction between devices, wired and wireless networking technologies, physical interfaces, and communication protocols. Identification and authentication mechanisms used in IoT systems, the advantages and disadvantages of different protocols and communication technologies, as well as the principles for selecting IoT network configurations are examined. Major security threats, vulnerabilities, and cyberattacks targeting IoT systems and radio-electronic environments are studied, together with threat modeling, security risk assessment, vulnerability detection, and incident investigation methods. The course also covers the planning of information protection measures in IoT systems; the design, deployment, configuration, and management of security components; the application of standard information protection tools; and the principles of ensuring continuous system operation. The course aims to develop students’ ability to analyze the security of IoT systems, select appropriate network and security configurations, assess vulnerabilities, and develop suitable protection measures against identified risks.

• seminar
• lecture
• presentations
• interactive discussion

1. 1

   CLO 1: Identify basic electronic components, logic circuits, converters, resistors, capacitors, transistors, inductors, and diodes, and construct circuits using these components.

2. 2

   CLO 2: Use simulation software to perform observations and experiments on electronic circuits.

3. 3

   CLO 3: Use measurement instruments to measure the basic quantities of electrical circuits.

4. 4

   CLO 4: Be familiar with different protocols used for data exchange between devices.

5. 5

   CLO 5: Be familiar with different technologies used for wireless communication between devices.

6. 6

   CLO 6: Understand information security issues related to iot devices, identify potential cyberattacks against them, and understand methods for protecting against such attacks.

1. 1.
   Introduction to the course. iot applications, iiot and fundamentals of electronicsLecture

   This topic introduces the purpose, structure, and main learning objectives of the course. the concepts of the internet of things (iot) and the industrial internet of things (iiot), their main application areas, and the general structure of iot systems are examined. the relationship between iot technologies and electronics is discussed, and the basic electrical and electronic concepts required for the operation of iot devices are explained. the fundamental principles of digital logic and the role of logic gates in electronic systems are examined. the typical hardware structure of an iot device, including sensors, actuators, processing units, memory, power supply, and communication modules, is also discussed.

2. 2.
   Microcontrollers and interfacesLecture

   This topic covers the concept of microcontrollers, their architecture, and their role in building iot devices. key hardware components such as the processor core, memory, input/output ports, timers, and communication interfaces are examined. the fundamental principles of microcontroller programming, software development, and interaction with hardware components are explained. the main features, capabilities, and application areas of arduino, esp8266, esp32, and stm32 microcontroller platforms, as well as the raspberry pi single-board computer, are examined. different platforms are also compared in terms of computing capabilities, communication interfaces, power consumption, and their use in iot projects.

3. 3.
   Iot architecturesLecture

   This topic covers the concept of iot architecture, the main components of iot systems, and different architectural models. the interaction between devices, communication networks, data processing, and application layers in iot systems is examined. the structure, layers, and application characteristics of three-layer, five-layer, and other n-layer iot architectures are explained. the principles of event generation, transmission, and processing in event-driven architecture (eda), as well as the service-oriented structure of service-oriented architecture (soa), are examined. different iot architectural models are also compared in terms of flexibility, scalability, inter-component communication, and application characteristics.

4. 4.
   Iot hardware componentsLecture

   Components introduces the hardware components used in iot devices, including sensors, actuators, communication modules, storage, processors, and power systems. security risks associated with physical components and hardware interfaces are also examined.

5. 5.
   MicrocontrollersLecture

   Covers the structure, functionality, and applications of microcontrollers in iot devices. students examine microcontroller-based systems, memory organization, peripherals, interfaces, and basic security considerations related to embedded devices.

6. 6.
   Iot programmingLecture

   Introduces programming concepts and development approaches used for iot devices and embedded systems. the topic covers device interaction, sensor data processing, communication, and secure programming practices for iot applications

7. 7.
   Iot protocols: application layerLecture

   Examines application-layer communication protocols commonly used in iot environments, including mqtt, coap, http/https, and related technologies. the topic discusses protocol functionality, communication models, authentication, encryption, and security considerations.

8. 8.
   Iot protocols: data link and physical layersLecture

   Introduces communication technologies used at the physical and data link layers of iot systems, including wi-fi, bluetooth/ble, zigbee, IEEE 802.15.4, and related technologies. their characteristics, use cases, and security mechanisms are analyzed.

9. 9.
   Threats and cyberattacks in iot systemsLecture

   Examines common threats and attack techniques targeting iot devices, networks, and services. topics include unauthorized access, malware, denial-of-service attacks, credential attacks, network attacks, data interception, and device compromise.

10. 10.
    Owasp top 10 iot vulnerabilitiesLecture

    Introduces the OWASP iot security vulnerability categories and examines common weaknesses in iot products and ecosystems. the topic covers insecure interfaces, weak authentication, insecure network services, insufficient security updates, insecure data transfer, and other major iot security risks.

11. 11.
    Iot security testing methodology: physical and hardware testingLecture

    Introduces methodologies for assessing the physical and hardware security of iot devices. the topic covers device inspection, hardware interfaces, firmware access, debugging interfaces, storage analysis, and identification of hardware-related vulnerabilities.

12. 12.
    Iot security and vulnerability assessmentLecture

    Covers systematic approaches to identifying and evaluating security vulnerabilities in iot devices and ecosystems. students examine reconnaissance, vulnerability identification, risk assessment, security testing, and reporting methodologies.

13. 13.
    Iot network protocol analysisLecture

    Introduces techniques for capturing, inspecting, and analyzing network traffic generated by iot devices. the topic covers packet analysis, protocol identification, communication patterns, encrypted and unencrypted traffic, and detection of potentially suspicious network behavior.

14. 14.
    Exploitation of uart, jtag, and SWD interfacesLecture

    Examines commonly available debugging and hardware interfaces in embedded and iot devices, including uart, jtag, and swd. the topic introduces their operation, security implications, identification methods, and controlled security testing techniques.

15. 15.
    Final review and discussion of course topicsLecture

    Provides a comprehensive review of the main concepts covered throughout the course. students discuss iot architectures, protocols, vulnerabilities, threats, security testing methodologies, and practical security challenges in modern iot environments.

1. Chantzis, f., stais, i., calderon, p., deirmentzoglou, e., & woods, b. practical iot hacking: the definitive guide to attacking the internet of things. no starch press, 2021, 464 p.
2. Platt, c. make: electronics. 2nd edition. o’reilly, 2015, 850 p.
3. Owasp. iot security testing guide. 2024, 87 p.
4. Etter, d. iot security: practical guide book. independent publishing platform, 2016, 63 p.
5. Waher, p. learning internet of things. packt publishing, 2015, 242 p.
6. Jain, s., lakshmi, v., srivathsa, r. i. iot and OT security handbook: assess risks, manage vulnerabilities, and monitor threats with microsoft defender for iot. packt publishing, 1st edition, 2023, 172 p
7. Cirani, s., ferrari, g., picone, m., veltri, l. internet of things for architects: architectures, protocols and standards. john wiley & sons, 2018, 394 p