Increased communication security

An apparatus comprising:

• a communication interface configured to receive a Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) message including authentication data and message data;
• a security component configured to perform message validation based on said authentication data, wherein said security component is further configured to determine that said CoAP message is invalid if at least one condition is not met, and wherein said at least one condition includes whether said CoAP message includes a unique identifier associated with a computer system separate from said apparatus;
• and
• an operation component configured to perform, if said CoAP message is valid, at least one operation associated with said CoAP message.

A system comprising:

• a first computer system;
• and
• a second computer system,
• wherein said first computer system is configured to generate authentication data based on message data, wherein said message data includes an authentication mechanism identifier, wherein said first computer system is further configured to generate said authentication data using an authentication mechanism associated with said authentication mechanism identifier, wherein said first computer system is further configured to generate a Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) message including said authentication data and said message data, and wherein said first computer system is further configured to communicate said CoAP message for delivery to said second computer system, and
• wherein said second computer system is configured to perform message validation, responsive to receiving said CoAP message, based on said authentication data.