Energy-efficient and scalable group key agreement for large ad hoc networks

ABSTRACT

Wireless ad hoc networks are gaining popularity as these networks are self organizing without requiring fixed infrastructure such as servers or access points. Nodes in wireless ad hoc networks are typically low-power devices and in some large scale ad hoc networks such as wireless sensor networks (WSNs), there might be tens of thousands of low-power energy constrained nodes in the network. In order to secure group communication for a wireless ad hoc network, the low-power nature of the nodes and the network size has to be taken into consideration. In this paper, we propose an energy-efficient and scalable group key agreement (GKA) scheme for wireless ad hoc networks, which uses a generalized circular hierarchical (C-H) group model, where the network is partitioned into subgroups at $h$ different layers and each subgroup is arranged in a circle. Next, we describe the computational and communication energy analysis of a typical node found in ad hoc networks and provide some formulas that can be used to calculate the energy consumption costs for protocols implemented using different microprocessors and radio transceiver modules. A complexity analysis and energy consumption costs analysis conclude that our proposed scheme is the most energy-efficient and scalable GKA scheme as compared to three other GKA protocols.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
      C.2.0 General
          Subjects: Security and protection (e.g., firewalls)

Additional Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
      C.2.1 Network Architecture and Design
          Subjects: Wireless communication

General Terms:
Performance, Security

Keywords:
ad hoc networks, energy-efficiency, group communication, group key agreement, security