A novel name-based security mechanism for information-centric networking

The Information-Centric Networking (ICN) approach represents a prominent future Internet research activity. It aims to ensure a large-scale content distribution while supporting mobility and security natively. In this approach, named content represents the central element and it is independent from its delivering host. Security can no longer be tied to a particular location. It is built-in the content and it strongly depends on names. There are mainly two naming approaches: (1) hierarchical and human readable, (2) flat and self-certifying. Each one provides certain security services. The other services are ensured using additional mechanisms. In this paper, we propose the adaptation of the naming system in order to provide a robust security model built-in the name. The proposed solution combines the benefits of the two existing naming system and it is built on top of Identity-Based Cryptography (IBC). A formal security analysis is provided to confirm the safety of the new proposal.