SEKEN: secure and efficient key exchange for sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks are edging closer to widespread feasibility with recent research showing promising results in developing and adapting new mechanisms to suit their environment. Secure communication between these distributed wireless devices is a desired characteristic, especially in scenarios where these sensors would be used for military and other mission-critical operations. This paper highlights some of the research challenges for extending secure communications over these resource-limited devices and points out why current protocols do not scale well in this unique application realm. A new key setup protocol (SEKEN) is proposed that neatly fits into the requirements of these device types. The performance of SEKEN is then analyzed against some other possible key setup mechanisms. Our initial results confirm that it performs better under most of the conditions anticipated for general wireless sensor networks.