TCS / Studies / T-79.192 Special Course in Theoretical Computer Science

T-79.192 Special Course in Theoretical Computer Science (2 cr)
Mobility and security issues in wireless ad hoc networks

Autumn 2004

[Current] [General Information] [Schedule] [Arrangements]

Previous years: [Autumn 2003] [Autumn 2002] [Autumn 2001] [Autumn 2000] [Autumn 1999] [Autumn 1998]

This course is organized in a form of a seminar.

Ad hoc networks are originally designed for military environment in mind, especially to operate in hostile environment in the battlefield. Unfortunately, most of the ad hoc routing protocols are not designed to handle security at that level. This leads into situation that most ad hoc routing protocols (such as AODV) are vulnerable for hostile attacks. For example, an enemy node can participate on the routing protocol and totally paralyze the packet routing in the wireless network by telling to all our nodes that it has the best route to everywhere.

Today, ad hoc networks are used also in civilian applications, such as establishing wireless links between the mobile phone and its peripherals, or creating control network in industrial automation. However, the need for a good security solution is still crucial. Especially, since more and more people are relying on the communication networks and shortage of communication is considered to be a serious problem.

Traditionally, security at the ad hoc routing level can be done either by introducing security options to ad hoc routing protocols or by using other level security options, such as link level security or generic IPsec. Both alternatives do not operate very well in an environment where the nodes are mobile and change their location and routing frequently. For example, IPsec requires five to eight messages to establish a security association between the nodes.

In this seminar, we will look what impacts security brings into the other features of the ad hoc networks.

Topics for this seminar includes:

Destabilizing the (wireless) (ad hoc) networks in order to gain some benefits against their legitimate users
Specialized ad hoc networks (sensor networks, core networks built in ad hoc manner, ad hoc networks with fixed network access, military and civilian networks)
Mobility management problems (Micro/macro/micro mobility)
Mobile nodes moving patterns
Unequality of nodes
Performance issues, quality of service
Servicability, reliability and availability
DoS attacks, compromised nodes
Privacy in wireless networks

Current

The seminar starts on Mondays 16.15

General

Time, place: Mondays, 4:15 thru 7:00 p.m., seminar room TB353.
Coordinator: Hannu H. Kari, room TB253.
Registration by TOPI.
Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of networking, ad hoc networking principles and security protocols. The lecture notes of the course Special Course in Theoretical Computer Science in Autumn 2003 provide useful background material.
Credits: Credits will be granted based on given presentations.

The course is fixed 2 credit course, that means that if more (or less) presentations are given by the same person, those credits will be given on "individual course" T-79.295.
Seminar presentation plus archivable slides 2 cr per topic (for dissertation) 1 cr per topic (for master's thesis and journal/proceeding). Presentation time: 1 hour (for dissertation), 30 minutes (for others).

Extra credits: 4 pages own paper on seminar topic, related on the presentation: plus 1 cr. Other documented individual research additional 2 cr per topic.
Presentation should include:
- Based on the work of the author(s) of the thesis/paper
- Own work of the student
Active feedback from the audience is required after the presentation!

Schedule (continuously updated)

Contact professor to reserve your presentation slot and topic.

13.9: Course introduction/Hannu H. Kari
20.9: Janne Lindqvist:

27.9: Janne Lindqvist: Petri Jokela, et. al., Host Identity Protocol: Achieving IPv4 - IPv6 handovers without tunneling (http://www.tml.hut.fi/~pnr/publications/evolute2003.pdf)
K. Daniel Wong, et. al., A Multilayered Mobility Management Scheme for Auto-Configured Wireless IP Networks (http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~hgs/papers/Wong03_Multilayered.pdf)
4.10: Hannu H. Kari: Detecting location of mobile node from mobility management messages
11.10: Jussi Nikander: Lim, Xu, Gerla: TCP Performance over Multipath Routing in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (http://www.cs.ucla.edu/NRL/wireless/uploads/kxu_icc03.pdf)
Chen, Xu, Gerla: Multipath TCP in Lossy Wireless Environment (http://www.cs.ucla.edu/NRL/wireless/uploads/mtcp.pdf)
Maarit Hietalahti: L.A.Martucci, C.M.Schweitzer, Y.R.Venturini, T.C.M.B.Carvalho, W.V.Ruggiero. A Trust-Based Security Architecture for Small and Medium-Sized Mobile Ad Hoc Networks. In: Proceedings of the 3rd Annual Mediterranean Ad Hoc Networking Workshop, Med-Hoc-Net. June 2004. Bodrum, Turkey. p.278-290. http://www.cs.kau.se/~leonardom/Papers/LAMartucci_%20A_Trust-Based_Security_Architecture.pdf
18.10:
25.10:
1.11: No seminar
8.11: NEMO (Network mobility) issues/HHK
15.11: No seminar
22.11: Sami Kauppinen: Exploiting Mobility in Large Scale Ad Hoc Wireless Networks - Mario Gerla,Kaixin Xu, Xiaoyan Hong - IEEE Computer Communication Workshop (CCW 2003), Dana Point, CA, Oct. 2003. (http://www.cs.ucla.edu/NRL/wireless/uploads/kxu-ccw03.pdf)
29.11:
6.12: No seminar (Independence day)
13.12: No more seminars (exam period)

Arrangements

Pointers to seminar material will be linked to the schedule above by coordinator.
Electronic copy of presentation slides and/or seminar paper, together with any possible additional literature pointers mailed by presenter to coordinator by the presentation date. These will also be linked to the schedule above.
Each speaker should discuss the material he/she intends to cover in his/her presentation with the coordinator ca. two weeks before the talk.