Secure localization and authentication in ultra-wideband sensor networks

Abstract

The recent Federal Communications Commission regulations for ultra-wideband (UWB) transmission systems have sparked a surge of research interests in the UWB technology. One of the important application areas of UWB is wireless sensor networks. The proper operations of many UWB sensor networks rely on the knowledge of physical sensor locations. However, most existing localization algorithms developed for sensor networks are vulnerable to attacks in hostile environments. As a result, attackers can easily subvert the normal functionalities of location-dependent sensor networks by exploiting the weakness of localization algorithms. In this paper, we first analyze the security of existing localization techniques. We then develop a mobility-assisted secure localization scheme for UWB sensor networks. In addition, we propose a location-based scheme to enable secure authentication in UWB sensor networks.