Authenticated symmetric key distribution for mobile ad hoc networks

A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a collection of wireless mobile nodes dynamically forming a temporary network without any existing network infrastructure or centralized administration. Key management schemes based on public key cryptography are not suitable for MANET because of its computation inefficiency and nodes resources constraints. In this paper, we propose a novel symmetric key distribution scheme that effectively distribute authenticated symmetric keys between mobile nodes. The proposed scheme distributes symmetric keys between mobile nodes in two steps. In the first step, it distributes certificates during the route request process and in the second step, it disseminates symmetric keys during the route reply process. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme has a negligible impact on the network performance and can be easily implemented because of its low complexity.