Efficient Identity-based Security Schemes for Ad-Hoc Network Routing Protocols

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Acknowledgement

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I, [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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Abstract

It has been argued that the application-layer overlay protocols can improve services in mobile ad-hoc networks, hardly any empirical information is available on the throughput and delay performance achievable in this fashion. This research paper presents performance measurements of an application-layer overlay approach that make sure integrity and confidentiality of application data in an ad-hoc environment. A key management and encryption scheme, called neighborhood key method, is presented where each node shares secrets only with authenticated neighbors in the ad-hoc network, thus avoiding global re-keying operations. All anticipated solutions have been implemented and empirically evaluated in an existing software system for application-layer overlay networking. Results from indoor and outdoor measurement experiments with mobile handheld devices provide insight into the performance and overhead of overlay networking and application-layer security services in ad-hoc networks.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION6

Background of the Research6

Purpose of Study9

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW10

Theoretical framework10

The HyperCast Overlay Software System10

Measurements in a Static Ad-Hoc Network12

Single-Hop Measurements (Unicast)24

Single-Hop Measurements (Multicast)25

Multi-Hop Measurements (Unicast)27

Neighborhood Key Method28

Authentication31

Exchange Of Neighborhood Keys and Data Encryption34

Data confidentiality and integrity41

Evaluation of Security with Neighborhood Key Method44

Latency of Authentication44

Single-Hop Measurement with Security47

Multi-Hop Measurements with Security48

A Spanning Tree Protocol for Ad-Hoc Networks49

Measuring Link Quality53

Ancestor Selection55

Minimum Hop Count to Core57

Path Quality to Core57

Evaluation of the SPT Protocol59

Research Design63

Research Questions68

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND ANALYSIS69

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION74

REFERENCES76

APPENDIX79

Chapter 1: Introduction

Background of the Research

A frequent characteristic of mobile ad-hoc networks and application-layer overlay networks is that they do not make a distinction between endsystems and relay systems (routers), that is, endsystems relay traffic for which they are neither the sender nor the receiver. In accumulation, both types of networks must be able to cope with frequent changes of the network topology and the set of nodes attached to the network. These similarities have stimulated interest in leveraging solutions gained in one type of network to the other. Notably, several studies recently applied application-layer overlay protocol solutions in a mobile ad-hoc context to run ad-hoc routing protocols at the application layer or to realize a multicast service in an ad-hoc network (Chin, 2002, 59).

An advantage of building ad-hoc networks at the application layer is that they are easy to deploy, since there is no need for protocol compatibility at the OS or hardware level. Further, application-layer solutions make it easy to add or customize network services, such as multicast, streaming, or security. The main drawbacks of ad-hoc routing at the application layer is additional overhead for communication and computing and a reduced ability to interact with lower layers of the protocol ...