Securing Mobile Ad Hoc Networks Using Enhanced Identity-Based Cryptography

• Published in: ETRI journal 2015, 37(3), , pp.512-522
• Main Authors: Mehr, Kamal Adli, Niya, Javad Musevi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Identity‐based cryptography; key pool; pairing‐based cryptography; security‐routing interdependency; threshold cryptography; 전자/정보통신공학
• ISSN: 1225-6463; 2233-7326
• DOI: 10.4218/etrij.15.0114.0195

Recent developments in identity‐based cryptography (IBC) have provided new solutions to problems related to the security of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). Although many proposals to solve problems related to the security of MANETs are suggested by the research community, there is no one solution that fits all. The interdependency cycle between secure routing and security services makes the use of IBC in MANETs very challenging. In this paper, two novel methods are proposed to eliminate the need for this cycle. One of these methods utilizes a key pool to secure routes for the distribution of cryptographic materials, while the other adopts a pairing‐based key agreement method. Furthermore, our proposed methods utilize threshold cryptography for shared secret and private key generation to eliminate the “single point of failure” and distribute cryptographic services among network nodes. These characteristics guarantee high levels of availability and scalability for the proposed methods. To illustrate the effectiveness and capabilities of the proposed methods, they are simulated and compared against the performance of existing methods.