Question 1
A smart utility company is deploying a large-scale mesh network of smart meters using 6LoWPAN. To prevent unauthorized devices from joining the network and injecting malicious data, which of the following is the most effective and resource-efficient security mechanism to implement at the network layer for device onboarding?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Protocol for Carrying Authentication for Network Access (PANA) is a network-layer protocol specifically designed for network access authentication in IP-based networks, making it suitable for 6LoWPAN. It works with the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) to provide robust authentication before a device is granted full network access. IPsec is too heavyweight for many constrained 6LoWPAN devices. MAC filtering is easily spoofed and not scalable. DTLS operates at the transport layer, not the network layer for initial access control.