Resisting to false identities attacks to the public-key management system for Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

Abstract

Cryptography is widely known as the best technique to provide security on data communications in all kinds of networks. Cryptographic methods rely on keys to perform their operations, such as encryption, decryption, and signature. In Wireless Ad Hoc Networks (WANETs), key management is a critical service as it must handle all security threats in a self-organized and decentralized way. Several kinds of attacks can compromise the key management on WANETs, such as Sybil and bad mouthing. This article presents the enhanced VKM, called e-VKM, a virtualization-based key management system resistant to Sybil and bad mouthing attacks. e-VKM is proposed to work on scenarios in which nodes can be preloaded with secure information before joining the system. Examples of these scenarios include but are not limited to sensor networks, meeting conferences, battlefield operations or health care solutions. Results show that e-VKM is highly resistant to Sybil attacks and bad mouthing, presenting 100% of resistance even under 20% of attackers. © 2012 ICST Institute for Computer Science, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering.