On the implementation and evaluation of an elliptic curve based cryptosystem for Java enabled Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper considers the impact of the provision of security for a Java enabled wireless sensor networking platform. In 2007, Sun Microsystems, Inc. released a Java programmable platform; namely Sun Small Programmable Object Technology (Sun SPOT). Given the more intuitive application development environment, it is envisaged that real applications will emerge at a more rapid pace, and as such the importance of the provision of security remains to the fore. The only provision of security, to-date, is that of an industry standard TLS (Transport Layer Security) implementation at the Application Layer; rooted from an ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) based public-key cryptosystem. This work demonstrates that the employment of TLS results in a reduction of 70% of network lifetime; a significant cost to provide security. Given this cost, alternative methods of securing a Sun SPOT based sensor network are considered, culminating in the specification of a cross-layer, hybrid security architecture.