An Adaptive Synchronous Lightweight AKA Protocol With Authority Management for Wireless Medical Sensor Networks

Abstract

The advancement of wireless network technology has propelled wireless medical sensor networks (WMSNs) to transform healthcare, offering efficient communication for enhanced quality of life. These networks employ sensitive and resource-efficient sensors to monitor and transmit patients' vital health data to medical professionals through wireless channels. However, the openness of these channels risks unauthorized access and data tampering, jeopardizing patient privacy and treatment efficacy. Ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of health data is crucial. Current authentication and key agreement (AKA) protocols have limitations, including susceptibility to sensor information disclosure and security flaws due to excessive user authority and mismatched pseudorandom identities. Given the resource constraints of WMSNs, traditional cryptographic methods are not always suitable. To overcome these challenges, a lightweight AKA protocol with self-adaptive synchronization and authority management is proposed. Formal verification through the real-or-random model, BAN logic, and ProVerif tool confirms its security and availability, while informal analysis demonstrates its robust security features. Comparative analysis with recent schemes also highlights its superiority and fitness for WMSNs.