Providing real-time security support for multi-level ad-hoc networks

Digital battlefields have different settings from the existing communication networks like the Internet or cellular networks, which are established on permanent infrastructures and transaction/session-based applications. The constantly changing tactical environment may demand many real-time needs in both data collection and data delivery. We propose a solution that employs: (i) portable mobile real-time data collectors; and (ii) multi-level ad-hoc networks with high-throughput communication channels to gather and deliver multimedia data at real time in digital battlefields, hence providing effective real-time communication and coordination support for all tactical units. This paper studies how to ensure data privacy in such environments. We define the set of metrics to provide quantified security supports to multimedia streams collected and transmitted at real time. Our implementation and measurements on portable mobile devices demonstrate that the metrics are useful in evaluating modern cipher algorithms based on their encryption performance and other throughput requirements.