A New Attack Method Against ECG-Based Key Generation and Agreement Schemes in Body Area Networks

Jack Hodgkiss,Soufiene Djahel,Zonghua Zhang

doi:10.1109/jsen.2021.3079177

Jack Hodgkiss, Soufiene Djahel + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1109/jsen.2021.3079177

Copy DOI

Abstract

Body Area Networks (BAN) are wireless networks designed for deployment on or within the human body. These networks are primarily intended for application within themedical domain due to their capabilities for enablingwireless monitoring of physiological signals, and remote administration of medical devices. Due to their intended use case, securing these devices is paramount. In recent years, several key generationand agreement schemes that rely upon physiological signals of the wearer are developed. However, we have found that the application of Electrocardiogram(ECG) signals in this context may not be appropriate due to a potential vulnerability, wherein previously recorded ECG signals could be used against current and future key agreement attempts to compromise their security. This is a violation of temporal variance which is one of a few properties that make ECG signals suitable for use in key agreement schemes. By extracting the QRS complex from prior recordings and distributing them apart from one another we can construct synthetic signals that have a high level of coherence, and thus allow for the key to be intercepted. Based on the conducted experiments we have found that the proposed attack method yields a 0.7 coherence level regardless of how far away the adversary is from the target. Thismakes the success of such an attack extremely likely and is therefore a real threat to the security of these schemes.

Highlights

N OWADAYS, sensing technology [1] represents an essential source of data in many application domains, such as transportation and smart healthcare, as it offers the capability of real-time monitoring and reporting of various events and parameters
Body Area Network (BAN), known as Body Sensor Network (BSN), is a wireless network composed of wireless sensor devices that can be worn or even implanted within the human body, this is only possible due their miniature size and low-power consumption
Many key generation and agreement schemes have been developed in recent years, such as Physiological Signal Based Key Agreement (PSKA) [6], Ordered Physiological Feature-based Key Agreement (OPFKA) [7], ECG Linear Prediction key Agreement (ELPA) [8] and Multi-Biometric and Physiological Signal-Based Key Agreement (MBPSKA) [12]

Summary

INTRODUCTION

N OWADAYS, sensing technology [1] represents an essential source of data in many application domains, such as transportation and smart healthcare, as it offers the capability of real-time monitoring and reporting of various events and parameters. Body Area Network (BAN), known as Body Sensor Network (BSN), is a wireless network composed of wireless sensor devices that can be worn or even implanted within the human body, this is only possible due their miniature size and low-power consumption These devices may be used as sensors to collect information about the wearer, such as body temperature, glucose level or fall detection, in addition to their use as complex medical instruments such as a pacemaker. HODGKISS et al.: NEW ATTACK METHOD AGAINST ECG-BASED KEY GENERATION AND AGREEMENT SCHEMES. Securing BAN miniature devices is essential to their successful wide adoption by the industry and the public This is due to the significant risks associated with the disclosure of the wearer’s private medical information or the potential for physical harms to be inflicted to the wearer.

OVERVIEW ON ECG-BASED KEY GENERATION AND AGREEMENT SCHEMES IN BANS

Overview of Electrocardiogram Signals

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Performance Against Existing Works

Findings

CONCLUSION