RELATE, Embedded Interactive Group (EIS), Computing Department, Lancaster University

A Context Authentication Proxy for IPSec using Spatial Referencen

[Abstract] Spontaneous interaction in ad-hoc networks is often desirable not only between users or devices in direct contact, but also with devices that are accessible only via a wireless network. Secure communication with such devices is difficult because of the required authentication, which is often either password- or certificate-based. An intuitive alternative is context-based authentication, where device authenticity is verified by shared context, and often by direct physical evidence. Devices that are physically separated can not experience the same context and can thus not benefit directly from context authentication. We introduce a context authentication proxy that is pre-authenticated with one of the devices and can authenticate with the other by shared context. This concept is applicable to a wide range of application scenarios, context sensing technologies, and trust models. We show its practicality in an implementation for setting up IPSec connections based on spatial reference. Our specific scenario is ad-hoc access of mobile devices to secure 802.11 WLANs using a PDA as authentication proxy.

PDF Icon, BibTeX, [Abstract]. Rene Mayrhofer. "A Context Authentication Proxy for IPSec using Spatial Referencen". In Proceedings of the 1st International Workshop on Trustworthy Ubiquitous Computing (TwUC 2006). Austrian Computer Society (OCG), December 2006. to appear.