Simple and Flexible Random Key Predistribution Schemes for Wireless Sensor Networks Using Deployment Knowledge

Abstract

Sensor nodes are tiny, low-power, computationally limited and battery constrained electromechanical devices that are usually deployed for sensing some type of data in the field. Random key predistribution mechanisms have been proposed to provide security for wireless sensor networks. In the literature, there are well known random key predistribution schemes. Some of these schemes are secure, but quite complex to apply, while some other are easily applicable but they do not offer reasonable security. In this paper, we propose random key predistribution schemes for wireless sensor networks that provide varying ranges of security and that are easily applicable due to their simplicity. In this respect, our schemes serve as a tradeoff. Moreover, our proposed schemes show a good extensibility property. We assume prior deployment knowledge. We examine performance of our schemes and compare them with well known random key predistribution schemes.