Public Key Based Cryptoschemes for Data Concealment in Wireless Sensor Networks

In-network data aggregation is a popular technique for reducing the energy consumption tied to data transmission in a multi-hop wireless sensor network. However, data aggregation in untrusted or even hostile environments becomes problematic when end-to-end privacy between sensors and the sink is desired. In this paper we revisit and investigate the applicability of additively homomorphic public-key encryption algorithms for certain classes of wireless sensor networks. Finally, we provide recommendations for selecting the most suitable public key schemes for different topologies and wireless sensor network scenarios.