From Wireless Sensor Networks to Wireless Body Area Networks: Formal Modeling and Verification on Security Using PAT

Tieming Chen,Shijian Li,Zhenbo Yu,Bo Chen

doi:10.1155/2016/8797568

Tieming Chen, Shijian Li + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/8797568

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Abstract

Model checking has successfully been applied on verification of security protocols, but the modeling process is always tedious and proficient knowledge of formal method is also needed although the final verification could be automatic depending on specific tools. At the same time, due to the appearance of novel kind of networks, such as wireless sensor networks (WSN) and wireless body area networks (WBAN), formal modeling and verification for these domain-specific systems are quite challenging. In this paper, a specific and novel formal modeling and verification method is proposed and implemented using an expandable tool called PAT to do WSN-specific security verification. At first, an abstract modeling data structure for CSP#, which is built in PAT, is developed to support the node mobility related specification for modeling location-based node activity. Then, the traditional Dolev-Yao model is redefined to facilitate modeling of location-specific attack behaviors on security mechanism. A throughout formal verification application on a location-based security protocol in WSN is described in detail to show the usability and effectiveness of the proposed methodology. Furthermore, also a novel location-based authentication security protocol in WBAN can be successfully modeled and verified directly using our method, which is, to the best of our knowledge, the first effort on employing model checking for automatic analysis of authentication protocol for WBAN.

Highlights

Formal modeling and analysis on security protocols have gained worldwide attention in recent years, with the proliferation of formal method with model checking [1] since Lowe successfully found a bug on NSPK protocol through modeling and verification using CSP model checking tool FDR [2]
Model checking achieved a great success on security protocol analysis and verification for wireless sensor networks (WSN) using the Dolev-Yao attack assumption model and some specific tools [3]
Ballarini modeled S-MAC protocol using probabilistic model checking tool PRISM [4], and Saxena found a flaw on TinySec protocol using AVISPA model checking tool LEAP [5]

Summary

Introduction

Formal modeling and analysis on security protocols have gained worldwide attention in recent years, with the proliferation of formal method with model checking [1] since Lowe successfully found a bug on NSPK protocol through modeling and verification using CSP model checking tool FDR [2]. The same question comes with the popularization of WBAN, that is, how to guarantee the security property of the claimed authentication protocol Formal method such as model checking mentioned above is first of all expected for implementing automatic verification on the noncryptographic authentication protocols. This paper just explores the latest model checking framework tool PAT [10], which supports building its own specific model checker, to develop a formal modeling and verification method for location-based specific kind of security protocols in WSN and WBAN.

Model Checking Using PAT

On Location-Based Security Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

Towards Authentication Protocol for Wireless Body Area Networks

Figure 6

Conclusions