Wiley Handbook of Science and Technology for Homeland Security, 4 Volume Set

SECURITY OF DISTRIBUTED, UBIQUITOUS, AND EMBEDDED COMPUTING PLATFORMS

ANTHONY D. WOOD AND JOHN A. STANKOVIC

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

1 INTRODUCTION

Computer systems and networks are becoming more capable—and more vulnerable—as they are embedded more deeply into our environment. In this article, we describe security challenges faced by ubiquitous distributed systems: ad hoc networks of handheld computers, sensor networks for directly interacting with the world, and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that instantiate real-world objects with elements in our virtual computer systems. We review promising research approaches, and identify important future directions in these application areas.

2 SCIENTIFIC OVERVIEW

The confluence of wireless networking, increasing transistor densities (Moore's Law), and miniaturization of manufacturing processes has accelerated the deployment of computer networks. Computing devices are now lightweight, portable, unobtrusive, powerful, and more well connected than ever. Adding environmental and biological sensors tightens the connection with the real world, so that computing is not just embedded in non computing devices (like the proverbial Internet toaster), but is embedded in our living spaces.

We focus on three developing technology areas, represented in Figures 1 and 2: ad hoc networks, wireless sensor networks (WSNs), and RFID tags. Their applications range widely and are expanding, including military battlefield ...