Ad hoc networks provide a dynamically reconfigurable network infrastructure where entities can participate at will. Jini technology can be used to implement an ad hoc network, and to permit a user to enter the network and become a client of services without apriori knowledge of either the existence of the network or its services. However, Jini lacks security provisions for authenticating users of the network. Traditional Public key Infrastructure (PKI) approaches to authentication in an ad hoc network are static and cumbersome. An alternative approach that employs PKI in a dynamic manner, consistent with the rapidly changing nature of ad hoc networks, can provide the basis for such ad hoc authentication. This paper presents an implementation of an algorithm that provides a foundation for secure, ad hoc joining of a distributed, mobile, wireless network. The approach is based on incorporating the use of a dynamic PKI approach with the Jini architecture. We describe the Java-based imple...
M. M. McMahon, D. M. Needham, J. B. Datko