Recent Developments in Authentication Schemes Used in Machine-Type Communication Devices in Machine-to-Machine Communication: Issues and Challenges

Machine-to-machine (M2M) communication plays a fundamental role in autonomous IoT (Internet of Things)-based infrastructure, a vital part of the fourth industrial revolution. Machine-type communication devices (MTCDs) regularly share extensive data without human intervention while making all types of decisions. These decisions may involve controlling sensitive ventilation systems maintaining uniform temperature, live heartbeat monitoring, and several different alert systems. Many of these devices simultaneously share data to form an automated system. The data shared between machine-type communication devices (MTCDs) is prone to risk due to limited computational power, internal memory, and energy capacity. Therefore, securing the data and devices becomes challenging due to factors such as dynamic operational environments, remoteness, harsh conditions, and areas where human physical access is difficult. One of the crucial parts of securing MTCDs and data is authentication, where each device must be verified before data transmission. Several M2M authentication schemes have been proposed in the literature, however, the literature lacks a comprehensive overview of current M2M authentication techniques and the challenges associated with them. To utilize a suitable authentication scheme for specific scenarios, it is important to understand the challenges associated with it. Therefore, this article fills this gap by reviewing the state-of-the-art research on authentication schemes in MTCDs specifically concerning application categories, security provisions, and performance efficiency.