Key Management in Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks hold the promise of facilitating large-scale, real-time data processing in complex environments. As sensor networks edge closer towards widespread deployment, security issues become a central concern. Key management in wireless sensor networks is a challenging problem. Computationally complex asymmetric crypto techniques are unsuitable for use in resource-constrained sensor nodes and use of symmetric cryptography makes the entire network vulnerable in the event of node compromise. This paper presents a key management scheme that satisfies both operational and security requirements of distributed wireless sensor networks. The proposed scheme accommodates other techniques like data aggregation for energy efficiency and watchdog mechanism for intrusion monitoring. Also, the proposed scheme is generic enough so that it can be applied to variety of sensor network protocols.