TinyTate: Computing the Tate Pairing in Resource-Constrained Sensor Nodes

Abstract

After a few years of intense research, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) still demand new secure and cryptographic schemes. On the other hand, the advent of cryptography from pairings has enabled a wide range of novel cryptosystems. In this work we present TinyTate, the first known implementation of pairings for sensor nodes based on the 8-bit/7.3828-MHz ATmega128L microcontroller (e.g., MICA2 and MICAz motes). We then conclude that cryptography from pairings is indeed viable in resource-constrained nodes.