Towards a Reputation-based Trustworthy Edge-Cloud Continuum

The Edge-Cloud continuum refers to the dynamic provisioning of distributed computing and network resources that can scale to support the creation of secure and resource-efficient digital ecosystems. Trusted interaction and orchestration of distributed edge-cloud resources is a fundamental principle of distributed network infrastructures and service provisioning. The Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) paradigm is gaining momentum on the basis of being able to ensure trusted and secure interaction for edge-cloud networks. However, ZTA’s strict authentication policy mandates devices to be authenticated for every session, leading to significant overhead for resource-constrained devices engaged in multiple sessions. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a modified ZTA that integrates a reputation-based trust assessment mechanism, allowing a higher number of consecutive sessions without the need for costly authentication/authorisation while preserving system integrity. Reputation serves as a metric to gauge the trustworthiness of a node, considering its past behaviour and interactions. The proposed approach is evaluated for its feasibility in edge computing environments with limited resources, and simulation results demonstrate the practicality of utilising this technique in zero trust environments.