Chapter 5 of the book Holistic IoT Security, Privacy and Safety: Integrated Approaches Protecting A Highly Connected World, by Konstantinos Loupos (ed.), 2025. ISBN 978-1-63828-506-9. E-ISBN 978-1-63828-507-6.
The ERATOSTHENES project aims to revolutionize identity management in IoT systems by leveraging Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) principles, which allow IoT devices to maintain control over their digital identities throughout their lifecycle.
Traditional centralized identity management systems often face scalability and security issues when applied to IoT environments, which contain a vast number of interconnected devices. By contrast, SSI offers a decentralized approach that not only enhances security and privacy but also simplifies identity management processes.
The Ledger uSelf SSI solution, a core innovation of the ERATOSTHENES project, plays a pivotal role in this decentralized framework. This solution integrates key components such as the PUF (Physical Unclonable Function) client, VDR (Virtual Data Room)-fabric, Advanced Data Protection (ADP) module, and the Identity Recovery Mechanism to provide a holistic identity management system. Through the creation of Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and verifiable credentials, IoT devices are empowered with unique, cryptographically secure identities that can be used for authentication and authorization. These identities are self-managed, allowing devices to independently prove their identity while maintaining privacy, reducing the risks of tracking, profiling, or identity theft.
The importance of SSI in IoT environments lies in its ability to address the specific challenges that come with managing billions of devices, each with different hardware and software requirements. Ledger uSelf has been designed to accommodate these constraints, offering flexibility through environmental configurations that support the deployment across various devices. Furthermore, the system’s integration with advanced cryptographic techniques, such as privacy enhancing Attribute-Based Credentials (p-ABC), ensures minimal data disclosure and enhances security through zero-knowledge proofs.
By applying SSI principles, the ERATOSTHENES project not only ensures secure device onboarding, identity verification, and authorization processes but also builds a zero-trust framework that aligns with modern privacy regulations. The use of disposable identities further bolsters privacy by creating unique identifiers for specific interactions, minimizing the risk of tracking.
In conclusion, the ERATOSTHENES project demonstrates the potential of SSI in transforming identity management for IoT devices, offering a scalable, privacy-centric, and secure solution that addresses the challenges of the increasingly interconnected digital landscape. The Ledger uSelf solution exemplifies the project’s commitment to advancing secure, decentralized identity management in the IoT domain.
