Performance Evaluation of Secure Key Deployment and Exchange Protocol for MANETs

Secure Key Deployment and Exchange Protocol SKYE is a new encryption Key Management Scheme KMS based on combination of features from recent protocols combined with new features for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks MANETs. The design focuses on a truly ad hoc networking environment where geographical size of the network, numbers of network members, and mobility of the members is all unknown before deployment. Additionally, all key management is performed online making it distinct from most other implementations. This paper attempts to describe the process of development of the protocol and to more thoroughly discuss the simulation software design used to evaluate the performance of the proposed protocol. Simulation results show that security within the network can be increased by requiring more servers to collaborate to produce a certificate for the new member, or by requiring a higher trust threshold along the certificate request chain. SKYE works well within the limitations set by entirely online network formation and key management.