@conference {15096, title = {Toward secure key distribution in truly ad-hoc networks}, booktitle = {Applications and the Internet Workshops, 2003. Proceedings. 2003 Symposium on}, year = {2003}, month = {2003/01//}, pages = {342 - 346}, abstract = {Ad-hoc networks - and in particular wireless mobile ad-hoc networks $have unique characteristics and constraints that make traditional cryptographic mechanisms and assumptions inappropriate. In particular it may not be warranted to assume pre-existing shared secrets between members of the network or the presence of a common PKI. Thus, the issue of key distribution in ad-hoc networks represents an important problem. Unfortunately, this issue has been largely ignored; as an example, most protocols for secure ad-hoc routing assume that key distribution has already taken place. Traditional key distribution schemes either do not apply in an ad-hoc scenario or are not efficient enough for small, resource-constrained devices. We propose to combine efficient techniques from identity-based (ID-based) and threshold cryptography to provide a mechanism that enables flexible and efficient key distribution while respecting the constraints of ad-hoc networks. We also discuss the available mechanisms and their suitability for the proposed task.}, keywords = {ad, ad-hoc, cryptography;, distribution;, hoc, identity-based, key, mobile, network, networks;, routing;, secure, security;, Telecommunication, threshold, wireless}, doi = {10.1109/SAINTW.2003.1210183}, author = {Khalili,A. and Katz, Jonathan and Arbaugh, William A.} }