An adaptive security architecture for location privacy sensitive sensor network applications

Abstract

Security and location privacy in wireless sensor networks has drawn a lot of attention in recent years. Yet, the existing solutions are not likely to bring an optimal security/cost trade-off for real networks. They target a single attacker model and static application scenario requirements. However, both the attacker model and the requirements may evolve during the network lifetime. We propose an adaptive security architecture that allows for a dynamic adjustment of a security/cost trade-off. It consists of five security levels, each targeting a different attacker model. The security levels deploy both existing and novel security and privacy mechanisms. We also introduce a novel lightweight scheme for the dynamic security level interchange. The proposed architecture targets a particular application scenario where both traditional security and location privacy are concerned. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.