Abstract EN:

Communication systems based on self-organizing entities that build up the network without the need or reliance for a pre-established infrastructure represent a challenging scenario that will play an important role in society and economy by providing opportunities for the creation of ad hoc networks and services. In order for these services to be successful, they must rely on a network that is secure. The increased sensibility of mobile ad hoc networks with respect to dedicated networks like the Internet derives from the lack of nodes with a predefined role that are responsible for the network operation. Initially, applications of ad hoc networks have been envisioned mainly for crisis situations. In these applications, all the nodes of the network belong to a single authority and have a common goal. However, wireless technologies have significantly improved in recent years and low-cost devices have invaded the market: the deployment of ad hoc networks for civilian applications has become realistic. In these networks, nodes typically do not belong to the same organizational structure or to a single authority and they do not pursue a common goal. The lack of an a-priori trust relationship between the members of the network renders security an essential component to enable a realistic deployment and utilization of such open networks. In this thesis we address the security issues raised by open ad hoc networks. Our research pointed out two challenging research directions that we further investigated in the reminder of the thesis: the novelty of cooperation requirements and the difficult task of providing security associations without the support of an external infrastructure