Secure MAC-Layer Protocol for Captive Portals in Wireless Hotspots

Wireless access points largely fall into three categories: home and small business networks, enterprise networks, and hotspots. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) provides solutions to home, small business, and enterprise networks, but hotspots typically are not secured at the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer because they are open to the public. In this paper, we present a scheme that establishes a secure wireless connection between a client device and an access point in these open environments. In our approach, we use hierarchical identity-based cryptography, and each user uses its MAC address as its public key. Our scheme ensures confidentiality and integrity even in the presence of colluding attackers.