Preview

Russian Technological Journal

Advanced search

Architecture of a distributed system for testing Internet of Things devices at the development stage

https://doi.org/10.32362/2500-316X-2026-14-2-17-28

EDN: XDBAIA

Abstract

Objectives. The paper sets out to develop an architecture for a distributed testing system for Internet of Things (IoT) devices to ensure secure transmission and the isolated execution of test scenarios on dedicated execution modules. The study takes account of the rapid growth in the number of IoT devices operating in untrusted computing environments, in which the testing process can pose a risk of confidential data leakage or unauthorized interference with software components.

Methods. A comparative analysis of existing solutions such as NI TestStand, MagicDAQ, PHiLIP, and KEOLABS ContactLAB was conducted. Architectural components and test scenario life-cycle processes were examined and compared.

Results. The analysis identified the main stages of the test scenario life cycle, including preparation and storage of scripts, transmission and interpretation, interaction with the device under test, as well as registration and analysis of results. In addition, existing and proposed architectural solutions were compared according to the following key characteristics: application domain; type of architecture (distributed or centralized); test scenario execution environment; system scalability; level of execution isolation; availability of protection mechanisms; capability for remote management. The results of the study are presented in the form of a proposed architecture that includes a control module and autonomous execution modules with an isolated virtual MicroPython environment. To ensure security, test scenarios are transmitted over an encrypted communication channel using constrained application protocol and datagram transport layer security (protocol, while the execution of test code takes place in a restricted environment isolated from the main operating system.

Conclusions. The comparative analysis confirmed that the proposed solution eliminates the key limitations of existing solutions, namely the lack of encryption mechanisms and isolation of execution. The developed architecture enhances the security and reliability of the IoT device testing process, offering protection for intellectual property and test scenario logic in untrusted computing environments.

About the Author

D. S. Belyakov
Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics
Russian Federation

Danila S. Belyakov, Senior Lecturer, Department of Complex Information Security of Computer Systems, Faculty of Security


Competing Interests:

The author declares no conflicts of interest



References

1. Dyakov O.N., Belyakov D.S., Kalinin E.O. Using ePKI technology to securely update of embedded software of trusted hardware and software system. Bezopasnost’ informatsionnykh tekhnologii = IT Security (Russia). 2025;32(2):152–177 (in Russ.). https://doi.org/10.26583/bit.2025.2.12

2. Venugopal M., Nanda M., Anand G., Chandana Voora H. An integrated Hardware/Software Verification and Validation methodology for Signal Processing Systems. ITM Web Conf. 2022;50:02001. https://doi.org/10.1051/itmconf/20225002001

3. Bures M., Cerny T., Ahmed B.S. Internet of Things: Current Challenges in the Quality Assurance and Testing Methods. arXiv. arXiv:1805.01241. 2018. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1805.01241

4. Mazhar T., Talpur D.B., Shloul T.A., Ghadi Y.Y., Haq I., Ullah I. Analysis of IoT Security Challenges and its Solutions Using Artificial Intelligence. Brain Sciences. 2023;13(4):683. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13040683

5. Minani J.B., Sabir F., Moha N., Guéhéneuc Y.G. A Multimethod Study of Internet of Things Systems Testing in Industry. IEEE Internet Things J. 2024;11(1):1662–1684. https://doi.org/10.1109/JIOT.2023.3291233

6. Papulovskaya N.V., Izotov I.N., Blinichkin D.Y., Kataev A.Y. Core Platform Development for IoT-devices Automated Testing. Int. J. Open Inf. Technol. 2021;9(6):38–45 (in Russ.). https://elibrary.ru/ybxvtg

7. Castelo Branco K.D.S., Dantas V.L.L., Carvalho L.M. Interoperability Testing Guide for the Internet of Things. In: Proceedings of the 30th Brazilian Symposium on Multimedia and the Web (WebMedia 2024). (Sociedade Brasileira de Computação). 2024. P. 188–196. https://doi.org/10.5753/webmedia.2024.242058

8. Weiss K., Rottleuthner M., Schmidt T.C., Wählisch M. PHiLIP on the HiL: Automated Multi-Platform OS Testing with External Reference Devices. ACM Trans. Embed. Comput. Syst. (TECS). 2021;20(5s):1–26. https://doi.org/10.1145/3477040

9. Behnke I., Thamsen L., Kao O. Héctor: A Framework for Testing IoT Applications Across Heterogeneous Edge and Cloud Testbeds. In: Proceedings of the 12th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Utility and Cloud Computing Companion. ACM; 2019. P. 15–20. https://doi.org/10.1145/3368235.3368832

10. Ziegler S., Fdida S., Viho C., Watteyne T. F-Interop – Online Platform of Interoperability and Performance Tests for the Internet of Things. In: Mitton N., Chaouchi H., Noel T., Watteyne T., Gabillon A., Capolsini P. (Eds.). Interoperability, Safety and Security in IoT. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering. Springer; 2017. V. 190. P. 49–55. Available from URL: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-52727-7_7. Accessed July 07, 2025.

11. Olianas D., Leotta M., Ricca F. MATTER: A tool for generating end-to-end IoT test scripts. Software Qual. J. 2021;30(2): 389–423. Available from URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11219-021-09565-y. Accessed July 07, 2025.

12. Schieferdecker I., Kretzschmann S., Rennoch A., Wagner M. IoT-Testware – An Eclipse Project. In: 2017 IEEE International Conference on Software Quality, Reliability and Security (QRS). IEEE; 2017. https://doi.org/10.1109/QRS.2017.59

13. Belyakov D.S., Kalinin E.O., Konev A.A., Shelupanov A.A., Mitsel A.A. Life-cycle models and security threats to the microchip during its development and exploitation. Doklady Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta sistem upravleniya i radioehlektroniki (Doklady TUSUR) = Proceedings of TUSUR University. 2023;26(1):76–81 (in Russ.). https://doi.org/10.21293/1818-0442-2023-26-1-76-81

14. Konev A.A. Security threat model for protected microcontroller and the information it processes. Doklady Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta sistem upravleniya i radioehlektroniki (Doklady TUSUR) = Proceedings of TUSUR University. 2022;25(4):80–87 (in Russ.). https://doi.org/10.21293/1818-0442-2022-25-4-80-87

15. Restuccia G., Tschofenig H., Baccelli E. Low-Power IoT Communication Security: On the Performance of DTLS and TLS 1.3. In: Proceedings 2020 9th IFIP International Conference on Performance Evaluation and Modeling in Wireless Networks (PEMWN). https://doi.org/10.23919/PEMWN50727.2020.9293085

16. Lowther D., Jacob D., Trevor J., Singer J. Secure Scripting with CHERIoT MicroPython. In: Proceedings of the 34th ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Compiler Construction. ACM; 2025. P. 180–191. https://doi.org/10.1145/3708493.3712694


Supplementary files

1. Typical architecture of a testing system
Subject
Type Исследовательские инструменты
View (13KB)    
Indexing metadata ▾

An architecture for a distributed testing system for Internet of Things devices was developed to ensure secure transmission and the isolated execution of test scenarios on dedicated execution modules.

Review

For citations:


Belyakov D.S. Architecture of a distributed system for testing Internet of Things devices at the development stage. Russian Technological Journal. 2026;14(2):17-28. https://doi.org/10.32362/2500-316X-2026-14-2-17-28. EDN: XDBAIA

Views: 101

JATS XML


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.


ISSN 2782-3210 (Print)
ISSN 2500-316X (Online)