Secure identity authentication scheme design leveraging zero-knowledge proof technology

Abstract

In the contemporary landscape of the battlefield, the enhanced cyber warfare capabilities of adversaries mandate that routing protocols are equipped with endogenous security features. These features must be capable of detecting threats promptly and addressing them effectively to ensure both security and control. They also provide secure configuration options for the intrinsic security architecture of communication nodes within communication systems. This paper introduces a novel, inherently secure identity verification system named ORCA, which utilizes the concept of noninteractive zero-knowledge proof. ORCA streamlines the process of node identity authentication by minimizing communication exchanges, thereby safeguarding network topology integrity and establishing trust upon network formation. Leveraging this framework, the ORCA-OLSR security protocol was developed. Comparative simulations on the OPNET platform between the ORCA-OLSR and the challenge-response mechanism-based CA-OLSR security protocol demonstrate that ORCA-OLSR outperforms its counterpart in metrics such as routing overhead, end-to-end delay, and routing load.