Key Management for Secure Multicast in Hybrid Satellite Networks

This paper proposes a design for key management for secure multicast in hybrid satellite networks. Communication satellites offer an efficient way to extend IP multicast services for groups in wide-area networks. In order to be commercially viable, the multicast traffic should be accessible only to paying subscribers. Access control can be achieved by data encryption. This requires secure and efficient methods to generate, distribute and update the keys. Most current key management protocols do not scale well when applied to large dynamic groups in wide-area networks. This paper attempts to solve the above problem for groups in a hybrid network that is composed of terrestrial Ethernet LANs interconnected by ATM-based satellite channels. We investigate current group key management protocols, and design a framework for secure and scalable key management for the multicast routing architecture in the satellite network. The proposed framework is presented in detail, alongwith analysis and simulation results.