TY - CONF T1 - Toward secure key distribution in truly ad-hoc networks T2 - Applications and the Internet Workshops, 2003. Proceedings. 2003 Symposium on Y1 - 2003 A1 - Khalili,A. A1 - Katz, Jonathan A1 - Arbaugh, William A. KW - ad KW - ad-hoc KW - cryptography; KW - distribution; KW - hoc KW - identity-based KW - key KW - mobile KW - network KW - networks; KW - routing; KW - secure KW - security; KW - Telecommunication KW - threshold KW - wireless AB - 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. JA - Applications and the Internet Workshops, 2003. Proceedings. 2003 Symposium on M3 - 10.1109/SAINTW.2003.1210183 ER -