A distributed secret share update scheme with public verifiability for ad hoc network

In this paper, a distributed secret share update scheme with public verifiability for ad hoc network is proposed, in which the system secret key is collaboratively generated by k nodes or more, instead of by a centralized key generation center. To prevent a passive adversary from collecting other nodes' shares to compromise the system key over a long period, each node can periodically refresh its share without changing the system key. At the same time, to resist an active adversary to forge partial share and even to solve the accusation problem, any one can publicly verify the correctness of partial shares submitted by other nodes in the share update phase. To achieve our goals, we explore the technique of verifiable encryption with additive homomorphism and that of threshold cryptography. The analysis shows that the proposed scheme is more secure and efficient than the previous schemes for ad hoc networks. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.