Efficient and Secure Multicast in WirelessMAN: A Cross-layer Design

Abstract

Effectively adding security measures to a multicast service is an intriguing problem, especially when the service isdeployed in a wireless setting. Next generation IEEE 802.16standard WirelessMAN networks are a perfect example of this problem, and the latest draft specification of the standard includes a secure protocol solution called Multicast and Broadcast Rekeying Algorithm (MBRA). In this paper, we expose the security problems of MBRA, including non-scalability and omission of backward and forward secrecy, and propose new approaches, ELAPSE and ELAPSE+, to address these problems. In particular, ELAPSE+ makes use of membership and mobility information gathered in the application layer to augment the adaptive group management in the MAC layer. We analyze the security property of ELAPSE and ELAPSE+, and compare their performances with MBRA by simulating group rekeying scenarios.