Flying Ad Hoc Networks: Security, Authentication Protocols, and Future Directions

This chapter also gives an insight into the latest trends in the field of authentication and the possibilities for developing lightweight and novel mechanisms for Flying Ad hoc NETwork (FANET) authentication. Authentication is the primary step towards securing any ad hoc network which ensures the identity of the entity involved in the communication and gives the privilege of accessing the secret and sensitive network data only to the authentic users. The node mobility and dynamic topology changes are very high in FANET and hence pose higher security challenges when compared with other ad hoc networks like Mobile Ad hoc NETwork and Vehicular Ad hoc Network. Message authentication is different from user authentication. Message authentication is the process of checking the integrity of the data and verifying its source. Authentication provides a mechanism to filter out unauthorized users from valid users and provide network privacy and security.