ABSTRACT
The vision of nomadic computing with its ubiquitous access has stimulated much interest in the Mobile Ad Hoc Networking (MANET) technology. These infrastructureless, self-organized networks, which 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 strongly depends 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 ad hoc networking environments. 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 chapter, we study the schemes proposed to secure mobile ad hoc networks. We explain the primary goals of security enhancements, shed light on the commensurate challenges, survey the current literature on this topic, and finally introduce our approach to this multifaceted and intriguing topic.
