Securing Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

The vision of nomadic computing with its ubiquitous access has stimulated much interest in the Mobile Ad Hoc Networking (MANET) technology. Those infrastructureless, self-organized networks that either operate autonomously or as an extension to the wired networking infrastructure, are expected to support new MANET-based applications. However, the proliferation of this networking paradigm is strongly dependent on the availability of security provisions, among other factors. The absence of infrastructure, the nature of the envisioned applications, and the resource-constrained environment pose some new challenges in securing the protocols in the ad hoc networking environments. In particular, the security requirements can differ significantly from those for infrastructure-based networks, while the provision of security enhancements may take completely different directions as well. In this paper, we study the schemes proposed to secure mobile ad hoc networks. We expose the primary goals of security enhancements, shedding light on the commensurate challenges, and survey the up-to-date literature on this topic. Then, we introduce our approach to such a multifaceted and intriguing problem. Finally, we identify some open problems and plausible approaches.