A multi-service cluster-based decentralized group key management scheme for high mobility users

Abstract

Previous cluster based group key management schemes for wireless mobile multicast communication lack efficiency in rekeying the group key if high mobility users concurrently subscribe to multiple multicast services that co-exist in the same network. This paper proposes an efficient multi-service group key management scheme suitable for high mobility users which perform frequent handoffs while participating seamlessly in multiple multicast services. The users are expected to drop subscriptions after multiple cluster visits hence inducing huge key management overhead due to rekeying the previously visited cluster keys. However we adopt our already proposed SMGKM system with completely decentralised authentication and key management functions to address demands for high mobility environment with same level of security and less overhead. Through comparisons with existing schemes and simulations, SMGKM shows resource economy in terms of rekeying communication overhead in high mobility environment with multi-leaves.