An Integrated Security and Reliability Framework for Resource-constrained Wireless Networks

在过去的几年里，无线技术和移动通信系统有了惊人的增长。特别是，两种新兴的无线技术，即射频识别(RFID)系统和无线身体区域网络，分别在移动商务和医疗保健领域显示出巨大的潜力。RFID技术和移动电话的融合导致了潜在的应用，如非接触式和无钱包的移动商务，在这些商务中，可以立即进行安全的支付。与现有的蜂窝网络基础设施相结合，可能的应用和服务是巨大的。以类似的方式，无线体域网络可以通过记录放置在人体上的传感器的重要生理数据并将其传输到监测站，为远程健康监测和连续、实时的患者护理提供巨大的好处。 然而，安全和可靠性是此类网络成功部署到敏感和时间关键型应用之前需要解决的两个关键设计问题。这些网络施加了严格的资源和计算限制，使得使用复杂和高级的加密和可靠性算法变得不可行。这项研究的主要目的是为资源受限的无线网络开发一个安全和可靠性相结合的框架。为了实现这一目标，本研究将研究和开发一套轻量级的RFID和体域网络机制来支持无线服务。该提案旨在统一和扩展基于身份的加密和零知识证明系统，以开发一个综合框架。将在移动商务和医疗保健应用的实验试验台上开发和评估集成了一套最佳安全和可靠性机制的端到端架构。该研究将为两名博士生和十五名硕士研究生提供培训。从长远来看，这项研究将是设计泛在无线网络的重要一步，不仅是安全的，而且提供有保证的可靠性。

There has been a phenomenal growth in wireless technologies and mobile communication systems in the last few years. In particular, two emerging wireless technologies, namely, radio frequency identification (RFID) systems and wireless body area networks have shown enormous potential in the areas of mobile commerce and healthcare, respectively. Convergence of RFID technology and the mobile phone has resulted in potential applications such as contact-less and wallet-less mobile commerce wherein secure payments can be made instantly. Combined with the existing cellular network infrastructure, the possible applications and services are vast. In a similar manner, wireless body area networks can offer tremendous benefits for remote health monitoring and continuous, real-time patient care by recording and transmitting vital physiological data from sensors placed on the human body to monitoring stations. However, security and reliability are two critical design issues that need to be addressed before such networks can be successfully deployed in sensitive and time-critical applications. Severe resource and computational restrictions imposed by these networks make the use of sophisticated and advanced encryption and reliability algorithms infeasible. The primary objective of this research is to develop a framework for the integration of security and reliability for resource-constrained wireless networks. Towards the realization of this objective, the research will investigate and develop a set of lightweight mechanisms in RFID and body area networks to support wireless services. The proposal aims to unify and extend identity-based cryptography and zero-knowledge proof systems for developing an integrated framework. An end-to-end architecture that integrates an optimal set of security and reliability mechanisms will be developed and evaluated on an experimental test bed for mobile commerce and healthcare applications. The research will provide training for two Ph.D. and fifteen Masters students. In the long run, this research will be a significant step in the design of ubiquitous wireless networks, that are not only secure but also provide guaranteed reliability.