Modelling Threshold Secret Sharing Schemes in Ad Hoc Networks

Abstract

A threshold secret sharing scheme divides a secret key into multiple shares. The secret key can be constructed based on a certain number of shares, if the number is bigger than the threshold. Threshold secret sharing schemes increase the availability of service in Ad Hoc networks and avoid the single point of failure. Consequently, many security mechanisms have been proposed based on threshold secret sharing. However, research about how to choose an appropriate threshold is still missing.In this paper, we use fork/join queueing theories to develop a general model to evaluate the performance of a threshold secret sharing scheme in Ad Hoc networks. Specifically, we focus on the response time a requesting node needs to wait before it receives enough responded shares. Our proposed model allows one to numerically calculate the response time based on the threshold. It also provides a tool for people to choose an appropriate threshold when deploying a threshold secret sharing scheme in Ad Hoc networks.

Improvement on the Multihop Shareholder Discovery for Threshold Secret Sharing in MANETs

“…The multihop shareholder discovery is also considered in [5]. Even though the authors focus on the performance evaluation of TSS in MANETs in order to choose an appropriate threshold t, it is clear that the measurement of a service delay (i.e., a response time a requestor needs to wait before it receives enough replies) includes the replies that are received from local and multihop away shareholders.…”

Security in Ad Hoc Networks: From Vulnerability to Risk Management

“…Threshold cryptography has been subject to many suggestions and modifications, amongst them were hierarchical schemes such as in [8], some threshold schemes that exploit redundancies in the partial signatures and use error correcting codes to mask incorrect partial signatures [9], anonymous and certificateless Public-Key Infrastructure (AC-PKI) to efficiently and securely provide public-key services without using public-key certificates as in [10], combination of two cryptographic techniques: ID based and threshold cryptography as in [11], and using Maximum Distance Separable codes and Symmetric Key Generation System (SKGS) to provide a practical cryptographic system capable of operating in a dynamic environment as in [12]. To evaluate the performance of a threshold secret sharing scheme in ad hoc networks,Fork/join queuing theory was used in [13] to develop a general model .…”

“…The threshold level selection process is also influenced by various network dynamics such as network density, node speed, node transmission range, system stability, security level, link bandwidth and power loss. Suggestions for threshold level calculation were presented in [10], [13], and [14].…”