A Lightweight Certificateless Signcryption Scheme based on HCC for securing Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs)
Meenakshi Gupta, Poonam Gera, Bharavi Mishra · 2023
Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) consist of sensor nodes deployed within bodies of water. Wireless connections and the harsh underwater environment make sensors susceptible to a variety of malevolent attacks and security concerns. The fundamental concern of the UWSN is secure and reliable communication with low energy consumption. Many cryptographic solutions have been proposed to deal with such constraints. Signcryption is one of these cryptosystems, integrating signature and encryption to reduce computational costs relative to other cryptosystems. Numerous signcryption schemes based on ElGamal, bilinear pairing, RSA, and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) have been proposed. The inadequacies of these schemes include increased computation and communication overhead, the absence of certain security features, and a high memory demand. In this study, we introduced a lightweight certificateless signcryption system based on Hyper-elliptic Curve Cryptography (HCC). The system significantly reduces computing and communication costs, making it ideal for resource-constrained environments. Our solution meets the necessary security requirements while maintaining forward secrecy. The security analysis of our scheme indicates that the proposed method is efficient and effective.