Open Access

ARTICLE

IOTA-Based Authentication for IoT Devices in Satellite Networks

D. Bernal^*, O. Ledesma, P. Lamo, J. Bermejo

Escuela Superior de Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR), Av. de la Paz, 137, Logroño, 26006, La Rioja, Spain

* Corresponding Author: D. Bernal. Email:

Computers, Materials & Continua 2026, 86(1), 1-39. https://doi.org/10.32604/cmc.2025.069746

Received 30 June 2025; Accepted 17 October 2025; Issue published 10 November 2025

Abstract

This work evaluates an architecture for decentralized authentication of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks using IOTA Identity technology. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first proposal to integrate IOTA’s Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG)-based identity framework into satellite IoT environments, enabling lightweight and distributed authentication under intermittent connectivity. The system leverages Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs) over the Tangle, eliminating the need for mining and sequential blocks. An identity management workflow is implemented that supports the creation, validation, deactivation, and reactivation of IoT devices, and is experimentally validated on the Shimmer Testnet. Three metrics are defined and measured: resolution time, deactivation time, and reactivation time. To improve robustness, an algorithmic optimization is introduced that minimizes communication overhead and reduces latency during deactivation. The experimental results are compared with orbital simulations of satellite revisit times to assess operational feasibility. Unlike blockchain-based approaches, which typically suffer from high confirmation delays and scalability constraints, the proposed DAG architecture provides fast, cost-free operations suitable for resource-constrained IoT devices. The results show that authentication can be efficiently performed within satellite connectivity windows, positioning IOTA Identity as a viable solution for secure and scalable IoT authentication in LEO satellite networks.

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Keywords

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