Intrusion-tolerant group management for mobile ad-hoc networks

Abstract

An inventive system and method for intrusion-tolerant group management for a network is presented. The method comprises a client broadcasting a message request to controllers and validating the rekey messages received from the controllers, and controllers validating the client's broadcast message request and broadcasting proposals, collecting proposals, constructing threshold-signed proofs, updating the view umber, performing the client's message request, generating the rekey based on the valid proposals and transmitting the rekey to the client. Simultaneously, controllers send reconciliation messages to all controllers, based on which the membership state is updated. The client updates a shared key when a predetermined number of valid rekey messages are received. The controllers can communicate via a byzantine fault-tolerant agreement. The client can use its public key to decrypt the rekey and perform validation. The client's message request can be a join or a leave.