CT-ISG: A Framework for Defending Against Node Compromises in Distributed Sensor Networks

Proposal Number: NSF-0524156

TITLE: A Framework for Defending against Node Compromises in

Distributed Sensor Networks

PI: Sencun Zhu ([email protected]), Co-PI: Guohong Cao ([email protected])

Securing wireless sensor networks is a significant challenge because of

network scale, highly constrained system resources, and the fact that

sensor networks are often deployed in unattended and hostile environments.

The objective of this project is to develop a framework for defending

against node compromises in unattended sensor networks. The framework

consists of a suite of security mechanisms spanning three phases:

prevention, detection, and reaction. This research seeks to provide fundamental

security services covering key management, authentication, compromise

detection, and revocation. These services are essential for the successful

deployment of sensor networks. In addition, the research seeks solutions that

are designed and implemented in a distributed manner, where no central

authority is involved. This distributed property is critical for unattended

sensor networks deployed in adversarial environments, because a central

authority is a single point of failure from both security and performance

perspectives. The success of this project will have broad impact, making sensor networks more trustworthy and amenable to commercial, civilian, and military applications. The results of the project are disseminated through publications and talks, and the research is integrated into the computer science and engineering curriculum at Penn State.