Local key management in opportunistic networks. (1st January 2012)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shikfa, Abdullatif; Önen, Melek; Molva, Refik
• Is Part Of: International journal of communication networks and distributed systems. Volume 9:Number 1/2(2012)
• Page Start: 97
• Page End: 116
• Publication Date: 2012-01-01
• Subjects: key management -- opportunistic communication -- secure neighbourhood discovery -- local security associations -- communication networks; Computer networks -- Periodicals; Telecommunication systems -- Periodicals; Electronic data processing -- Distributed processing -- Periodicals; 004.6
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1754-3916

Abstract

Opportunistic networks are a new and specific type of mobile peer-to-peer networks where end-to-end connectivity cannot be assumed. These networks present compelling challenges, especially from a security perspective, as interactive protocols are infeasible in such environments. In this article, we focus on the problem of key management in the framework of content-based forwarding and opportunistic networks. After analysing this issue and identifying specific security threats such as Sybil attacks, we propose a specific key management scheme that enables the bootstrapping of local, topology-dependent security associations between a node and its neighbours along with the discovery of the neighbourhood topology, thanks to the use of pseudonym certificates and encapsulated signatures.