Multilevel and secure services in a fleet of mobile phones: The Multilevel Secured Messaging Application (MuSMA)

Abstract

The level of guarantees that can provide systems leveraging MANets cannot reach that of more traditional networks due to their highly dynamic nature. Real MANets (based on mobile phones in our case) operate in an environment without any infrastructure where the nodes are intermittently connected over short or long periods of time. Solving the traditional problems that are identification, security of communications, content delivery and localization, therefore requires specific approaches. In addition, the mobile phones that make the MANet, offer different communication technologies that must be efficiently exploited in multilevel perspective, from the shorter range wireless radio standards to the longer range ones. This multilevel perspective must also integrate issues related to user preferences, energy saving and limited financial means. In this paper, we first propose a preliminary model taking into account all the elements previously mentioned in the context of a mobile phone oriented MANet. Next, we focus on two aspects that are the secure exchange of profiles and the choice of the transmission technology. We then describe the mobile application that we have developed based on this model and the first performance analysis that we have conducted. Finally, we detail the remaining challenges that must be solved in this novel approach and that will constitute the next steps of the research described in this position paper. © 2013 ICST Institute for Computer Science, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering.