Secure Communication in Adverse Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Abstract

The vision of nomadic computing with its ubiquitous access has stimulated much interest in the Mobile Ad Hoc Networking (MANET) technology. Those infrastructure-less, self-organized networks that either operate autonomously or as an extension to the wired networking infrastructure, are expected to support new MANET-based applications. However, the proliferation of this networking paradigm strongly depends on the availability of security provisions, among other factors. The absence of infrastructure, the nature of the envisioned applications, and the resource-constrained environment pose some new challenges in securing the protocols in the ad hoc networking environments. Moreover, the security requirements can differ significantly from those for infrastructure-based networks, while the provision of security enhancements may take completely different directions as well. In particular, practically any node in the open, collaborative MANET environment can abuse the network operation and disrupt or deny communication. In this paper we introduce our approach to this multifaceted and intriguing problem: a set of protocols that secure the fundamental networking operations of routing and data transmission. Moreover, we survey solutions that address the management of trust in ad hoc networks.