: Securing  Wireless Networks: Challenges and Probable Solutions

With the exponential growth in wireless communication in recent years, safeguarding of information travelling over wireless networks is increasingly becoming one of the most important and contentious challenges for technology innovators. Addressing the fast-growing need to integrate effective security features into wireless communication systems, this tutorial offers its audience a broad overview of wireless security. Cryptography is a major theme of this talk, not because it is intrinsically interesting (which definitely it is), but because many of the security frameworks can be best provided through cryptographic mechanisms. The talk is also intended to provide its audience a comprehensive understanding of critical deployment of cryptographic paradigms in current and next-generation wireless communication networks and their implementations. After presenting the background and concepts of cryptography, the talk will provide a brief description of the security mechanisms used in wireless local area networks (WLANs), Bluetooth and the cellular networks of the second generation (2G), third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G). While presenting mechanisms for ensuring confidentiality in communication, it will also illustrate various implementation aspects of authentication mechanisms under heterogeneous and ubiquitous computing and communication environments. Finally, the talk will deal with the security and privacy issues in wireless ad hoc, wireless mesh and wireless sensor networks.

Arijit Ukil

Scientist R&D

email : arijit.ukil@tcs.com  Website: http://www.tcs.com  

Einstein often quoted “imagination is more important than knowledge. Logic will get you from A to B. imagination will take you everywhere”. Power of imagination has taken mankind from Stone Age to Internet World. Modern man’s creative imagination has allowed mankind to view the world in an entirely different light. This has transformed the way mankind lives, communicates and interacts. Following the same path of human imagination, communication technology evolved. So called wireless mobile communication is evolving in form of new technologies at every tick of minute. We have seen mobile communication evolution from AMPS to fourth generation (4G) in the form of WiMAX and LTE. The journey from AMPS to 4G is a long one, involving highest level of imagination and inventions. And it changed human life like never before. Along this path, researchers are seriously considering the possibility of “anywhere and anytime” computing or so called ubiquities computing, dream of Mark Weisser, a researcher in Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. Mark Weiser in his paper “The Computer for the Twenty-First Century” defines ubiquitous computing as a technology that “weave itself into the fabric of everyday life until it is indistinguishable from the it” [1]. He also envisioned it as “Specialized elements of hardware and software, connected by wires, radio waves and infrared, will be so ubiquitous that no one will notice their presence.” The purpose of a computer is to help us do something else. The best computer is a quiet, invisible servant. The computer should extend our unconscious. Technology should create calm. Ubiquitous computing is finding immediate applications in healthcare facilities, aware-homes, and assisted-living for the elderly. Sensors are used to monitor the conditions of patients in hospitals, onset of age-related disorders of elderly persons and status of various electrical appliances in our homes. Ubiquitous computing evolved with the path of computing and communication technology development. Though even till date, these two technologies prefer independence; this will not be the case in ubiquitous computing domain. We should prefer to call it ubiquitous computing and communication. We foresee that these two technologies will merge in the realization process of ubiquity. In computing era primary resource is computing and the paradox is that computing resources increased over years, but so did problem complexity. The solution is efficient computing algorithms with respect to the metrics like runtime, space complexity. Whereas, in communication era, the primary resource is bandwidth and the paradox is that as bandwidth capabilities increase, so will new data-intense wireless services and number of users. The solution is adaptive applications with respect to the metrics like quality of data, quality of service (QoS).

: Jivesh Govil  

Cisco Systems Inc.  

CA USA

Jivesh Govil is working with Cisco Systems, Inc. at California, USA. He completed Master of Science from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA in 2007 with focus on communication networks. Prior to this he completed his Bachelor of Engineering from University of Delhi, India. He also did graduate certificate course in Digital Communication Networks from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge (MIT), USA.  He has been decorated with President Gold Medal for his outstanding performance. He served as Industry Research Chair for ICWMC 2009, ICCGI 2009, and part of International Scientific Advisory Board for m-ICTE 2009. Currently, he is member of Technical Program Committees of numerous IEEE/ACM conferences, symposiums, and journals worldwide. He is an editorial board member of International Journal of Computing and Information technology. In past, he also served as reviewer for ACM/Springer Wireless Networks: Journal of Mobile Communication, Computation, and Information.

Mr. Govil has number of publications in IEEE/ACM related conference and scientific journals with special paper awards. He was honored with AT&T Pioneer Partner Award in July 2007 for Outstanding Performance and Lasting Contribution to the social community by devising wireless solution for Blinds that helped mitigate civilian safety issues at the same time maintaining the reputation of telecommunication services in United States and Canada. He has also been selected for Who’s Who in the World for 2010 and 2000 Outstanding intellectuals of 21st century by International Biographical Center. Mr. Govil’s research interest lies in Computer Networking, Convergence of technologies, Wireless and Satellite Network Architecture Planning, Cellular Mobile Radio Communication, Wireless Personal Communications, Broadband Wireless Access, 3G/4G Networks, MIMO Wireless Communications and Adaptive Signal Processing & Low Power-high Frequency Signal Processing for Wireless Communication. He is also IEEE Communication Society member.