nist-emntg/contiki-akm

The non-official git repository for Contiki. This repository contains the work on the Adaptive Key Management protocol.

The Contiki Operating System

Contiki is an open source operating system that runs on tiny low-power microcontrollers and makes it possible to develop applications that make efficient use of the hardware while providing standardized low-power wireless communication for a range of hardware platforms.

Contiki is used in numerous commercial and non-commercial systems, such as city sound monitoring, street lights, networked electrical power meters, industrial monitoring, radiation monitoring, construction site monitoring, alarm systems, remote house monitoring, and so on.

For more information, see the Contiki website:

http://contiki-os.org

AKM extensions for Contiki

This repository contains a modified version of Contiki that implements the Adaptive Key Management (AKM) protocol. AKM is a security protocol built upon the principle that nodes have a bounded amount of memory to perform security related function. Consequently, they should try to make the best use of their resources in order to connect to as many nodes as possible and form the largest secure overlay network possible (i.e. have the best node coverage).

AKM monitors RPL messages in order to build a set of neighbors that are crucial for connecting the node to network. This categorisation enables nodes to remove security association with their peers when they are of lesser value than other, more interesting, neighbors.

A new MAC layer is introduced for AKM protocol and works as a pass through for non-AKM related message. This MAC layer implements low level message filtering, fragmentation and reassembly required for AKM messages.

Mutual authentication is performed using lightweight ECC certificates (shipped as a git submodule).

This research was funded by NIST as part of the Secure Smart Grid project.