Protocols for secure node-to-cluster head communication in clustered wireless sensor networks

Abstract

Cluster based organization is widely used to achieve energy efficiency in Wireless Sensor Networks(WSN). In order to achieve confidentiality of the sensed data it is necessary to have secret key shared between a node and its cluster head. Key management is challenging as the cluster head changes in every round in cluster based organization. In this paper we are proposing deterministic key establishment protocols, which ensures that always there exists a secret key between node and its cluster head. The proposed protocols establishes key in an efficient manner every time a cluster head is changed. The hash based protocol achieves key establishment with very minimal storage at each node and by performing simple computations like one way hash functions and EX-OR operations. Where as the polynomial-based protocol establishes key in every round by using preloaded information without performing any additional communication. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.