A Survey on Access Control in the Age of Internet of Things

TLDR

The rapid integration of IoT technologies into social, automotive, medical, and surveillance systems generates vast amounts of personal data, making real‑time search essential but exposing privacy risks that require robust access control mechanisms. The survey aims to review and guide the development of access‑control solutions for IoT search in large‑scale, dynamic, heterogeneous settings. The authors analyze current challenges and future directions of access‑control mechanisms for IoT search through a comprehensive literature review.

Abstract

With the development of Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology, various types of information, such as social resources and physical resources, are deeply integrated for different comprehensive applications. Social networking, car networking, medical services, video surveillance, and other forms of the IoT information service model gradually change people's daily lives. Facing the vast amounts of IoT information data, the IoT search technology is used to quickly find accurate information to meet the real-time search needs of users. However, IoT search requires using a large amount of user private information, such as personal health information, location information, and social relations information, to provide personalized services. Employing private information from users will encounter security problems if an effective access control mechanism is missing during the IoT search process. An access control mechanism can effectively monitor the access activities of resources and ensure that authorized users access information resources under legitimate conditions. This survey examines the growing literature on access control for an IoT search. Problems and challenges of access control mechanisms are analyzed to facilitate the adoption of access control solutions in real-life settings. This article aims to provide theoretical, methodological, and technical guidance for IoT search access control mechanisms in large-scale dynamic heterogeneous environments. Based on a literature review, we also analyzed the future development direction of access control in the age of IoT.