A certificateless public key encryption based return routability protocol for next-generation IP mobility to enhance signalling security and reduce latency

IPv6 mobility is an IETF standard that has added roaming capabilities of mobile node (MN). It allows MNs to travel from one network to another without any distraction in communication service. MNs register their current location to home stations and correspondent hosts via a process known as binding update. In IPv6 mobility, return routability protocol (RRP) is a standard procedure for updating the current location of MNs through binding update message to their communicants. However, RRP has several security threats and issues. Subsequently, RRP was integrated with identity-based encryption for improvement of security. Nevertheless, it suffers from some limitations such as inherent key escrow problem, lack of key revocation, high computational load and latency while providing security. Hence, this paper proposes a novel approach called optimised RRP using certificateless public key encryption to address these issues. The proposed protocol is simulated and validated using Automated Validation of Internet Security Protocols and Applications (AVISPA) – a model checker. Finally, the simulation and numerical results illustrate the extent to which the proposed protocol surpasses the existing method in terms of enhanced security and significant reduction in communication payload with minimised latency.