Plug-and-Scan: A Lightweight Hardware-Based Physical Layer Security Device for Real-Time IoT Network Monitoring and Threat Detection

  • Unique Paper ID: 198420
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue: 11
  • PageNo: 9081-9086
  • Abstract:
  • The rapid growth of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has increased cybersecurity risks due to weak security measures such as default passwords, unencrypted communication, and lack of secure firmware updates, making networks vulnerable to attacks like Man-in-the-Middle (MitM), Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), and data theft, while also highlighting a gap in practical hardware-based cybersecurity knowledge. To address these challenges, this paper presents the design and implementation of a Plug-and-Scan Physical Layer Security Device, a low-cost, portable, and plug-and-play hardware solution that can be easily integrated into existing networks without major configuration changes, operating at the physical and data link layers to monitor both wired and wireless traffic in real time. The device captures and analyzes network packets to detect abnormal behavior, unauthorized access, and potential threats using a custom lightweight Intrusion Detection System (IDS) built with suricata, while also performing scheduled vulnerability scanning using Nmap to identify open ports, weak configurations, and security loopholes, with all results displayed on a user-friendly Flask-based web dashboard. Unlike traditional expensive and complex security systems, this solution is affordable and suitable for smart homes, small offices, educational institutions, and research labs, while also serving as a practical learning platform for students and researchers to gain hands-on experience in embedded systems and cybersecurity. Overall, the project demonstrates that a hardware-based, integrated approach can effectively enhance network security, provide real-time threat detection, and bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world implementation, with future scope for AI-based detection, cloud integration, and expanded protocol support.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{198420,
        author = {Zaid A. Maniyar and Saurabh Singh and Ashirwad Jenamani and Himanshu Goswami and Dr. Jyoti Gangane},
        title = {Plug-and-Scan: A Lightweight Hardware-Based Physical Layer Security Device for Real-Time IoT Network Monitoring and Threat Detection},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {11},
        pages = {9081-9086},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=198420},
        abstract = {The rapid growth of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has increased cybersecurity risks due to weak security measures such as default passwords, unencrypted communication, and lack of secure firmware updates, making networks vulnerable to attacks like Man-in-the-Middle (MitM), Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), and data theft, while also highlighting a gap in practical hardware-based cybersecurity knowledge. To address these challenges, this paper presents the design and implementation of a Plug-and-Scan Physical Layer Security Device, a low-cost, portable, and plug-and-play hardware solution that can be easily integrated into existing networks without major configuration changes, operating at the physical and data link layers to monitor both wired and wireless traffic in real time. The device captures and analyzes network packets to detect abnormal behavior, unauthorized access, and potential threats using a custom lightweight Intrusion Detection System (IDS) built with suricata, while also performing scheduled vulnerability scanning using Nmap to identify open ports, weak configurations, and security loopholes, with all results displayed on a user-friendly Flask-based web dashboard. Unlike traditional expensive and complex security systems, this solution is affordable and suitable for smart homes, small offices, educational institutions, and research labs, while also serving as a practical learning platform for students and researchers to gain hands-on experience in embedded systems and cybersecurity. Overall, the project demonstrates that a hardware-based, integrated approach can effectively enhance network security, provide real-time threat detection, and bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world implementation, with future scope for AI-based detection, cloud integration, and expanded protocol support.},
        keywords = {Physical Layer Security, IoT Security, Intrusion Detection System, Raspberry Pi, Suricata, Network Monitoring, Transparent Bridge, Vulnerability Scanning.},
        month = {April},
        }

Cite This Article

Maniyar, Z. A., & Singh, S., & Jenamani, A., & Goswami, H., & Gangane, D. J. (2026). Plug-and-Scan: A Lightweight Hardware-Based Physical Layer Security Device for Real-Time IoT Network Monitoring and Threat Detection. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology (IJIRT), 12(11), 9081–9086.

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