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 baseline security capabilities consensus outlined by the US, UK and EU authorities:

National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) NISTIR 8259 draft of recommendations IoT device manufacturers
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) C2 Consensus on IoT Device Security Baseline Capabilities
UK's Code of Practice for Consumer IoT Security
European Union Agency for CyberSecurity (ENISA) Baseline Security Recommendations for IoT
European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Baseline Security Requirements for IoT

as described here.