By definition, a mobile ad hoc network does not rely on any fixed infrastructure; instead, all networking functions (e.g., routing, mobility management, etc.) are performed by the nodes themselves in a self-organizing manner. For this reason, securing mobile ad hoc networks is challenging and, in some applications this requires a shift in paradigms with respect to the traditional security solutions for wireline networks. Meanwhile, we still rely on traditional cryptographic primitives. There are two extreme ways to introduce security in mobile ad hoc networks:
(1) through a single authority domain, where certificates and/or keys are issued by a single authority, typically in the system setup phase.
(2) through full self-organization, where security does not rely on any trusted authority or fixed server, not even in the initialization phase.
In this seminar, I have taken the second approach.
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