Securing Delay-Tolerant Networks with BPSec

6The BPSec Security Mechanism

The BPSec security mechanism refers to components existing within individual BPv7 bundles and at Bundle Protocol Agents (BPAs) in a BPv7 network. This mechanism implements the design of security extensions for BPv7 networks and is an important part of the overall DTN security ecosystem.

This chapter explores each of the components that comprise the BPSec mechanism, how this mechanism might be expanded upon in the future, and how this implementation satisfies the desirable properties of a bundle security solution.

After reading this chapter you will be able to:

• Identify the key components of the BPSec mechanism.
• Trace the lifecycle of a security operation.
• Explain how security contexts are represented in security blocks.
• Describe the differences between integrity and confidentiality blocks.
• List the concerns associated with adding other security block types.

6.1 The BPSec Mechanism

A mechanism is a system of individual components working together to accomplish a common purpose. This concept well describes the security extensions for BPv7 – the BPSec mechanism is implemented as a series of individual components that work together to secure information in bundles.

The components comprising this mechanism are Security Operations (SOps), security contexts, and security blocks. SOps describe the relationship between blocks in a bundle and the security services that act on those blocks. Security contexts generate and process the cryptographic ...