Device Onboarding in Eclipse Arrowhead Using Power of Attorney Based Authorization

Abstract

Large-scale onboarding of industrial cyber physical systems requires efficiency and security. In situations with the dynamic addition of devices (e.g., from subcontractors entering a workplace), automation of the onboarding process is desired. The Eclipse Arrowhead framework, which provides a platform for industrial automation, requires reliable, flexible, and secure device onboarding to local clouds. In this paper, we propose a device onboarding method in the Arrowhead framework where decentralized authorization is provided by Power of Attorney. The model allows users to subgrant power to trusted autonomous devices to act on their behalf. We present concepts, an implementation of the proposed system, and a use case for scalable onboarding where Powers of Attorney at two levels are used to allow a subcontractor to onboard its devices to an industrial site. We also present performance evaluation results.