Replication attack on random key pre-distribution schemes for wireless sensor networks
Date
2005
Authors
Fu, H.
Kawamura, S.
Zhang, M.F.
Zhang, L.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Conference paper
Citation
Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE Workshop on Information Assurance and Security, 2005
Statement of Responsibility
Conference Name
2005 IEEE Workshop on Information Assurance and Security (15 Jun 2005 : West Point, New York)
Abstract
When setting up a sensor network, one of the first requirements is to establish cryptographic keys for later use. However, the traditional key establishment techniques cannot be directly applied due to the inherent properlies of sensor networks. Recently, a promising methodology, random key pre-distribution schemes based on symmetric cryptography, has been proposed. In this paper, we study the problem of replication attack on random key pre-distribution schemes. Using a combination of modeling, analysis, and experiments, we analyze, characterize, and discuss the relationship among the replicated hostile nodes, the sensor networks, and the resiliency of various random key pre-distribution schemes against replication attack. Example findings include: (1) the sensor networks with random key predistribution schemes, even with one replicated sensor, start to become almost 100% insecure when the adversary captures and stores the key infomation equivalent to those carried by one good sensor node; and (2) among the proposed schemes, the q-composite scheme with larger q is most resilient against replication attack while the basic scheme is least resilient and the Blom-based scheme lies in between the above two schemes when the replicated node has less memory to store key information than the original node. Interestingly, it is the other way round when the replicated node has more memory to store key information than the original node. Moreover, as a transition, the resilience against replication attack is the same for all the random schemes when the replicated and original nodes have the same memory to store key information. This study not only provides practical insights into the design of more secure and efficient key establishment schemes allowing simple key establishment for large-scale sensor networks, but can aiso be used to accurately predict the payoff that an adversary can gain after injecting a certain number of nodes into the sensor networks.
School/Discipline
Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
Access Status
Rights
Copyright 2005 IEEE