A security-property-based approach for lowering power consumption of secure mobile Web access

Securing a mobile Web connection via HTTPS is a well-known drain on battery life. To solve this problem, we propose a novel, modular approach based on security properties. Our solution enables fine-grained control of the security properties used during mobile Web access, giving users the opportunity to avoid power-hungry security mechanisms when they are not needed. Starting from the well-known security properties integrity, confidentiality, and authentication, we develop modular software components that can be added to the HTTP protocol on an as-needed basis, thereby extending battery life, especially when compared to using monolithic HTTPS-based security. Preliminary measurements indicate that our approach results in a 78% to 99% reduction in resource use.