In dynamic peer group communications, security has been in high demand by many applications in recent years. One of the more popular mechanisms to satisfy these security requirements is the group key scheme in which the group key is to be shared by each group communication participant. However, how to establish and manage the group key efficiently in order to protect such communications imposes new challenges - especially when such schemes are to be deployed on resource-limited networks such as Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs). The basic needs of such network settings require that the group key schemes must demonstrate not only high performance but also fault-tolerance. Furthermore, to encrypt group communication messages efficiently is essential. Therefore, it is anticipated that the contributions of this thesis will address the development of lightweight and high performance key management protocols for group communications while guaranteeing the same level of security as other approaches. These contributions are listed below: First, two efficient individual rekey schemes, in which most group members process one-way hash functions and other members perform Diffie-Hellman operations, are proposed to obtain performance efficiency. Second, a periodic batch rekey scheme is proposed to handle the out-of-sync problem resulting from individual rekeying schemes in cases where there is a high rate of group member requests for joining/leaving. Third, scalable maximum matching algorithms (M2) are designed to incorporate a tree-based group key generation scheme to forward the partial keys to other group members. Fourth, a hybrid group key management architecture is proposed as well to combine the advantages of centralized and contributory group key schemes. Fifth, a Fast Encryption Algorithm for Multimedia (FEA-M) is enhanced to overcome the vulnerabilities of its original solution and its former improved variant. Performance analyses and experimental results indicate that the proposed approaches reduce computational costs and communication overhead as compared to other popular protocols.

Embedding small wireless sensors into the environment allows for monitoring physical processes with high spatio-temporal resolutions. Today, these devices are equipped with a battery to supply them with power. Despite technological advances, the high maintenance cost and environmental impact of batteries prevent the widespread adoption of wireless sensors. Battery-free devices that store energy harvested from light, vibrations, and other ambient sources in a capacitor promise to overcome the drawbacks of (rechargeable) batteries, such as bulkiness, wear-out and toxicity. Because of low energy input and low storage capacity, battery-free devices operate intermittently; they are forced to remain inactive for most of the time charging their capacitor before being able to operate for a short time. While it is known how to deal with intermittency on a single device, the coordination and communication among groups of multiple battery-free devices remain largely unexplored. For the first time, the present thesis addresses this problem by proposing new methods and tools to investigate and overcome several fundamental challenges.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / Handheld devices have evolved significantly from mere simple organizers to more powerful handheld computers that are capable of network connectivity, giving it the ability to send e-mail, browse the World Wide Web, and query remote databases. However, handheld devices, because of its design philosophy, are limited in terms of size, memory, and processing power compared to desktop computers. This thesis investigates the use of Data Flow Query Language (DFQL) in querying local and remote databases from a handheld device. Creating Standard Query Language (SQL) queries can be a complex undertaking; and trying to create one on a handheld device with a small screen only adds to its complexity. However, by using DFQL, the user can submit queries with an easy to use graphical user interface. Although handheld devices are currently more powerful than earlier PCs, they still require applications with a small footprint, which is a limiting factor for software developed. This thesis will also investigate the best division of labor between handheld device and remote servers. / Sergeant, United States Army