We study the secure and reliable connectivity of wireless sensor networks under the heterogeneous pairwise key predistribution scheme. This scheme was recently introduced as an extension of the random pairwise key predistribution scheme of Chan et al. to accommodate networks where the constituent sensors have different capabilities or requirements for security and connectivity. For simplicity, we consider a heterogeneous network where each of the $n$ sensors is classified as type-1 (respectively, type-2) with probability $μ$ (respectively, $1-μ)$ where $0<μ<1$. Each type-1 (respectively, type-2) node selects 1 (respectively, $K_n$) other nodes uniformly at random to be paired with; according to the pairwise scheme each pair is then assigned a unique pairwise key so that they can securely communicate with each other. We establish critical conditions on $n, μ$, and $K_n$ such that the resulting network has minimum node degree of at least $k$ with high probability in the limit of large network size. Our result constitutes a zero-one law for the minimum node degree of the recently introduced inhomogeneous random K-out graph model. This constitutes a crucial step towards establishing a similar zero-one law for the $k$-connectivity of the graph; i.e., for the property that the network remains connected despite the failure of any $k-1$ nodes or links. We present numerical results that indicate the usefulness of our results in selecting the parameters of the scheme in practical settings with finite number of sensors.
Many applications of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) require deploying sensors in hostile environments, where an adversary may eavesdrop communications. To secure communications in WSNs, the q-composite key predistribution scheme has been proposed in the literature. In this paper, we investigate secure k-connectivity in WSNs operating under the q-composite scheme, in consideration of the unreliability of wireless links. Secure k-connectivity ensures that any two sensors can find a path in between for secure communication, even when k - 1 sensors fail. We present conditions on how to set the ne…
We study the secure and reliable connectivity of wireless sensor networks. Security is assumed to be ensured by the random pairwise key predistribution scheme of Chan, Perrig, and Song, and unreliable wireless links are represented by independent on/off channels. Modeling the network by an intersection of a random $K$-out graph and an Erdős-Rényi graph, we present scaling conditions (on the number of nodes, the scheme parameter $K$, and the probability of a wireless channel being on) such that the resulting graph contains no nodes with degree less than $k$ with high probability, when the numbe…
We present a comprehensive analysis on connectivity and resilience of secure sensor networks under the widely studied q-composite key predistribution scheme. For network connectivity which ensures that any two sensors can find a path in between for secure communication, we derive the conditions to guarantee connectivity in consideration of (i) node-capture attacks, where the adversary may capture a set of sensors and compromise keys in their memory; (ii) sensor mobility, meaning that sensors can move around so that the network topology may change over time; (iii) physical transmission constrai…
In this paper, we investigate the secure connectivity of wireless sensor networks utilizing the heterogeneous random key predistribution scheme, where each sensor node is classified as class-$i$ with probability $μ_i$ for $i=1,\ldots,r$ with $μ_i>0$ and $\sum_{i=1}^r μ_i=1$. A class-$i$ sensor is given $K_i$ cryptographic keys selected uniformly at random from a key pool of size $P$. After deployment, two nodes can communicate securely if they share at least one cryptographic key. We consider the wireless connectivity of the network using a heterogeneous on-off channel model, where the channel…
We consider wireless sensor networks under a heterogeneous random key predistribution scheme and an on-off channel model. The heterogeneous key predistribution scheme has recently been introduced by Yağan - as an extension to the Eschenauer and Gligor scheme - for the cases when the network consists of sensor nodes with varying level of resources and/or connectivity requirements, e.g., regular nodes vs. cluster heads. The network is modeled by the intersection of the inhomogeneous random key graph (induced by the heterogeneous scheme) with an Erdős-Rényi graph (induced by the on/off channel mo…
We investigate the secure connectivity of wireless sensor networks under a heterogeneous random key predistribution scheme and a heterogeneous channel model. In particular, we study a random graph formed by the intersection of an inhomogeneous random key graph with an inhomogeneous Erdős-Rényi graph. The former graph is naturally induced by the heterogeneous random key predistribution scheme while the latter graph constitutes a heterogeneous on/off channel model; wherein, the wireless channel between a class-$i$ node and a class-$j$ node is on with probability $α_{ij}$ independently. We presen…
Random K-out graphs are used in several applications including modeling by sensor networks secured by the random pairwise key predistribution scheme, and payment channel networks. The random K-out graph with $n$ nodes is constructed as follows. Each node draws an edge towards $K$ distinct nodes selected uniformly at random. The orientation of the edges is then ignored, yielding an undirected graph. An interesting property of random K-out graphs is that they are connected almost surely in the limit of large $n$ for any $K \geq2$. This means that they attain the property of being connected very …
Random key graphs form a class of random intersection graphs and are naturally induced by the random key predistribution scheme of Eschenauer and Gligor for securing wireless sensor network (WSN) communications. Random key graphs have received much interest recently, owing in part to their wide applicability in various domains including recommender systems, social networks, secure sensor networks, clustering and classification analysis, and cryptanalysis to name a few. In this paper, we study connectivity properties of random key graphs in the presence of unreliable links. Unreliability of the…
We introduce a new random key predistribution scheme for securing heterogeneous wireless sensor networks. Each of the n sensors in the network is classified into r classes according to some probability distribution μ = {μ_1 , . . . , μ_r }. Before deployment, a class-i sensor is assigned K_i cryptographic keys that are selected uniformly at random from a common pool of P keys. Once deployed, a pair of sensors can communicate securely if and only if they have a key in common. We model the communication topology of this network by a newly defined inhomogeneous random key graph. We establish scal…
k-connectivity of random graphs is a fundamental property indicating reliability of multi-hop wireless sensor networks (WSN). WSNs comprising of sensor nodes with limited power resources are modeled by random graphs with unreliable nodes, which is known as the node fault model. In this paper, we investigate k-connectivity of random graphs in the node fault model by evaluating the network breakdown probability, i.e., the disconnectivity probability of random graphs after stochastic node removals. Using the notion of a strongly typical set, we obtain universal asymptotic upper and lower bounds o…
In wireless sensor networks, the $q$-composite key predistribution scheme is a widely recognized way to secure communications. Although connectivity properties of secure sensor networks with the $q$-composite scheme have been studied in the literature, few results address physical transmission constraints since it is challenging to analyze the network connectivity in consideration of both the $q$-composite scheme and transmission constraints together. These transmission constraints reflect real-world implementations of sensor networks in which two sensors have to be within a certain distance f…
Random K-out graphs, denoted $\mathbb{H}(n;K)$, are generated by each of the $n$ nodes drawing $K$ out-edges towards $K$ distinct nodes selected uniformly at random, and then ignoring the orientation of the arcs. Recently, random K-out graphs have been used in applications as diverse as random (pairwise) key predistribution in ad-hoc networks, anonymous message routing in crypto-currency networks, and differentially-private federated averaging. In many applications, connectivity of the random K-out graph when some of its nodes are dishonest, have failed, or have been captured is of practical i…
In the context of wireless sensor networks, the pairwise key distribution scheme of Chan et al. has several advantages over other key distribution schemes including the original scheme of Eschenauer and Gligor. However, this offline pairwise key distribution mechanism requires that the network size be set in advance, and involves all sensor nodes simultaneously. Here, we address this issue by describing an implementation of the pairwise scheme that supports the gradual deployment of sensor nodes in several consecutive phases. We discuss the key ring size needed to maintain the secure connectiv…
We investigate the secure connectivity of wireless sensor networks under the pairwise key distribution scheme of Chan et al.. Unlike recent work which was carried out under the assumption of full visibility, here we assume a (simplified) communication model where unreliable wireless links are represented as on/off channels. We present conditions on how to scale the model parameters so that the network i) has no secure node which is isolated and ii) is securely connected, both with high probability when the number of sensor nodes becomes large. The results are given in the form of zero-one laws…
We explore the interplay between interference, cooperation and connectivity in heterogeneous wireless interference networks. Specifically, we consider a 4-user locally-connected interference network with pairwise clustered decoding and show that its degrees of freedom (DoF) are bounded above by 12/5. Interestingly, when compared to the corresponding fully connected setting which is known to have 8/3 DoF, the locally connected network is only missing interference-carrying links, but still has lower DoF, i.e., eliminating these interference-carrying links reduces the DoF. The 12/5 DoF outer boun…
In this paper, we compute the expected number of vehicles with at least one two-hop path to a fixed roadside unit (RSU) in a multi-hop, one-dimensional vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) where other cars can act as relays. The pairwise channels experience Rayleigh fading in the random connection model, and so exist, with a probability given by a function of the mutual distance between the cars, or between the cars and the RSU. We derive exact expressions for the expected number of cars with a two-hop connection to the RSU when the car density $ρ$ tends to zero and infinity, and determine its beh…
Random graphs are an important tool for modelling and analyzing the underlying properties of complex real-world networks. In this paper, we study a class of random graphs known as the inhomogeneous random K-out graphs which were recently introduced to analyze heterogeneous sensor networks secured by the pairwise scheme. In this model, first, each of the $n$ nodes is classified as type-1 (respectively, type-2) with probability $0<μ<1$ (respectively, $1-μ)$ independently from each other. Next, each type-1 (respectively, type-2) node draws 1 arc towards a node (respectively, $K_n$ arcs towards $K…
Random key graphs have received considerable attention and been used in various applications including secure sensor networks, social networks, the study of epidemics, cryptanalysis, and recommender systems. In this paper, we investigate a $q$-composite random key graph, whose construction on $n$ nodes is as follows: each node independently selects a set of $K_n$ different keys uniformly at random from the same pool of $P_n$ distinct keys, and two nodes establish an undirected edge in between if and only if they share at least $q$ key(s). Such graph denoted by $G_q(n,K_n,P_n)$ models a secure …
On Balancing Sparsity with Reliable Connectivity in Distributed Network Design with Random K-out Graphs
Laboratory for Information & Decision Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院信息与决策系统实验室）；Intel Corporation（英特尔公司）；Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Cylab Security & Privacy Institute, Carnegie Mellon University（卡内基梅隆大学电气与计算机工程系和Cylab安全与隐私研究所）
