A Hybrid Key Pre-distribution Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

Key management in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is the basic service for deploying security policies. In this paper, we combine q-composite scheme with polynomial scheme to propose a hybrid key pre-distribution scheme for WSNs. The characteristic of the scheme is that a partial polynomial is preloaded for each sensor node, and then a polynomial share stored by each node is used to generate a corresponding key pool. Perform the corresponding hash operation on the generated keys to hide part of the key information of the nodes. Then select the corresponding number of processed generation keys to distribute to each node. The scheme introduces a random key method, which avoids the "t-secure" problem faced by the conventional polynomial scheme and achieves the significant improvement of network security. The corresponding key is generated using the polynomial share preloaded on the sensor node, which has a higher connectivity than the polynomial scheme. Theoretical and simulation results show that the propose scheme not only enhances the network secure connectivity, but also improves the node’s anti-capture attack capability when compared to other schemes.