Designing Security Protocols Adapted to the Constraints of Mobile Environments

Abstract

Within a mobile environment, communications may necessitate different security properties depending on the sensitivity of the data exchanged. A protocol such as HTTPS that uses the Secure Socket Layer/Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS) may offer these properties, but it is known that SSL/TLS is high-energy consuming and the properties are provided as a block, which may have an important impact on the battery life of the mobile devices. In this paper, we propose to build security protocols from software security components offering each one a security property. By externalizing the security functionalities and adapting the security level to the users’ needs, we are providing a security management architecture adapted to mobile environments. A proof of concept is provided based on the XMPP protocol.