In-network-aggregation as case study for a support tool reducing the complexity of designing secure wireless sensor networks

This paper shows how complex security-related design decisions in wireless sensor networks can be made less difficult with a proposed supporting tool. As case study in this paper we focus on in-network-aggregation which is a promising option to reduce network effort. We introduce several algorithms for concealed data aggregation, each with its own benefits and drawbacks concerning security issues but also with respect to code size, processing overhead etc. Selecting the optimal combination requires in-depth knowledge of programming resource constrained devices, protocols for those devices, and last but not least significant background in security. Our proposed configuration tool - named configKIT - has been designed to cope with such complexity. This paper presents how configKIT works, how it will be set up, and how it can be applied in practice. The pre-compiler assessment process considers memory, energy and security parameters and provides reliable application-dependent configurations to the developer before a single line of code is written. The approach can reduce development time significantly and enables even complex and sophisticated security algorithms to a broader public.