Integration of Owl Password-Authenticated Key Exchange Protocol to Enhance IoT Application Protocols

The exponential growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized connectivity, generating vast amounts of data, and introducing significant challenges in security and privacy. Traditional security protocols often fail to meet the demands of IoT environments due to the limited computational and energy capacities of devices, as well as the need for scalability and adaptability in dynamic networks. This study evaluates IoT application protocols to identify those lacking native key-exchange mechanisms and examines the integration of Owl, a password-authenticated key-exchange protocol, to improve security from the initial stages of communication. By focusing on lightweight and resource-efficient designs, this research demonstrates how Owl addresses critical security gaps, reinforces authentication, and ensures robust session establishment in IoT systems. The findings provide a road-map for incorporating Owl into IoT architectures, offering practical solutions to achieve seamless, scalable, and secure communication in constrained environments.