Enhancing IoT Security Using IPTABLES on Raspberry Pi: A Lightweight Firewall Approach with Real-time Monitoring and Notification System

Abstract

Currently, Internet of Things (IoT) devices are widely used in various fields. However, due to their resource constraints, such as low processing power, limited memory, and restricted energy supply, deploying traditional cybersecurity solutions, including Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and complex firewalls, is challenging. This research aims to develop an approach using IPTABLES Firewall on Raspberry Pi as a Lightweight Firewall to enhance the security of IoT devices. The focus is on protecting against four types of attacks: Port Scanning, Brute Force Attack, Denial of Service (DoS), and Man-in-the-Middle (MITM), along with a real-time alert system through email and Telegram. The system was tested on a Raspberry Pi, simulating attacks from Kali Linux, to evaluate its performance using metrics such as False Positive Rate (FPR), False Negative Rate (FNR), CPU Load, Memory Usage, and Network Latency. The test results showed that the system could effectively detect and prevent Port Scanning, Brute Force, and DoS attacks with low False Positive and False Negative rates. However, MITM attack prevention has certain limitations because IPTABLES operates at Layer 3-4 of the OSI Model. In conclusion, the developed Lightweight Firewall system can enhance the security of IoT devices efficiently without significantly impacting system performance. This makes it a suitable solution for protecting resource-constrained IoT devices against cybersecurity threats.