Distributed node selection for threshold key management with intrusion detection in mobile ad hoc networks

In mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), identity (ID)-based cryptography with threshold secret sharing is a popular approach for the security design. Most previous work for key management in this framework concentrates on the protocols and structures. Consequently, how to optimally conduct node selection in ID-based cryptography with threshold secret sharing is largely ignored. In this paper, we propose a distributed scheme to dynamically select nodes with master key shares to do the private key generation service. The proposed scheme can minimize the overall threat posed to the MANET while simultaneously taking into account of the cost (e.g., energy consumption) of using these nodes. Intrusion detection systems are modeled as noisy sensors to derive the system security situations. We use stochastic system to formulate the MANET to obtain the optimal policy. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.