A Survey on Key Management System for Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks

Vol.3 No.4

Year: 2009

Issue: April-June

Title: A Survey on Key Management System for Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks 

Author Name: Umaparvathi M, Dharmishtan K Varughese 

Synopsis: 

The mobile ad-hoc networks are more vulnerable to security attacks than their wired counterparts because of their unique characteristics. Cryptographic techniques are essential for the protection against these attacks. For these techniques, cryptographic keys serve as a proof of trustworthiness to authenticate nodes as legitimate members of the network, as well as prerequisite for confidentiality and integrity. So, a secure and efficient management of cryptographic keys is crucial for a reliable network service and thus the success for wireless ad-hoc networks. This paper provides the state of the art of the key management protocols designed for Mobile Ad-hoc Networks according to recent literature. The protocols are subdivided into several groups based on their design strategy and the type of cryptographic system. This paper discusses the advantages and provides comments on the strategy of each group separately. From the review, it is concluded that all the currently available protocols can not guarantee the higher level of security because of the non-hierarchical nature of ad-hoc networks, lack of infrastructure and mobility of participating entities. A comparison between these protocols can provide the basis for future research in this area.