Authenticating an unknown device based on relationships with other devices in a group of devices

A computer program product, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

• for a first device in an internet of things network that includes a plurality of other devices, storing a list of trusted devices, a list of untrusted devices, and a watch list;
• determining a distance between the first device and each of the plurality of other devices;
• identifying a level of trust for each of the plurality of other devices based on the distance, wherein the level of trust specifies a level of data sharing;
• ranking each of the plurality of other devices based on the level of trust;
• and
• for a second device of the plurality of other devices,
• determining whether the second device is designated as a risky device that is on the watch list and has one or more warnings, wherein each of the one or more warnings indicates a negative score, and wherein each negative score indicates how the second device is perceived by another device of the plurality of other devices;
• in response to determining that the second device is designated as the risky device on the watch list,
• assigning a trust score to the second device based on the ranking;
• and
• lowering the trust score by each negative score indicated by each of the one or more warnings;
• based on determining that the trust score exceeds a trust threshold, providing access to the second device for data of the first device;
• and
• based on determining that the trust score does not exceed the trust threshold, denying the access to the second device for the data of the first device;
• and
• for an unknown device that is not in the plurality of other devices,
• receiving a trust score from each of the plurality of other devices in the list of trusted devices;
• determining a weighted, average trust score using each trust score received from each device of the plurality of other devices;
• and
• based on determining that the weighted, average trust score exceeds the trust threshold, providing the access to the unknown device for the data of the first device.

A computer system, comprising:

• one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices;
• and
• program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to perform operations comprising:
• for a first device in an internet of things network that includes a plurality of other devices,
• storing a list of trusted devices, a list of untrusted devices, and a watch list;
• determining a distance between the first device and each of the plurality of other devices;
• identifying a level of trust for each of the plurality of other devices based on the distance, wherein the level of trust specifies a level of data sharing;
• ranking each of the plurality of other devices based on the level of trust;
• and
• for a second device of the plurality of other devices,
• determining whether the second device is designated as a risky device that is on the watch list and has one or more warnings, wherein each of the one or more warnings indicates a negative score, and wherein each negative score indicates how the second device is perceived by another device of the plurality of other devices;
• in response to determining that the second device is designated as the risky device on the watch list,
• assigning a trust score to the second device based on the ranking;
• and
• lowering the trust score by each negative score indicated by each of the one or more warnings;
• based on determining that the trust score exceeds a trust threshold, providing access to the second device for data of the first device;
• and
• based on determining that the trust score does not exceed the trust threshold, denying the access to the second device for the data of the first device;
• and
• for an unknown device that is not in the plurality of other devices,
• receiving a trust score from each of the plurality of other devices in the list of trusted devices;
• determining a weighted, average trust score using each trust score received from each device of the plurality of other devices;
• and
• based on determining that the weighted, average trust score exceeds the trust threshold, providing the access to the unknown device for the data of the first device.