OCF Security

OCF, as an IP-based application layer, ensures that the data sent over the internet, whether device to device, or device to cloud, cannot be read or modified by anyone except the desired recipient. This security system is called end-to-end encryption. End-to-end encryption is important, because information exchange over the internet may pass through the networks of intermediary organisations such as telecom and internet providers in multiple jurisdictions worldwide.

OCF achieves end-to-end encryption using a set of policies and procedures known as Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). PKI defines how to employ public and private digital certificates to perform end-to-end encryption. OCF employs a communications protocol known as Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) to exchange PKI public key certificates between the OCF client and OCF server. Both the OCF client and server then use the public key certificates of the respective recipient to securely encrypt the data to be sent, such that the recipient is the only one that can read it.

The OCF specification maps to the IoT industry Baseline Security requirements as described below, with the Baseline Table comparing each Baseline Category against the relevant OCF Specification clause: