Abstract

This paper discusses some challenges that user mobility imposes over the user-centric protection model against security threats. This model is based on the idea of offloading the security applications from the end user device, and placing them in a trusted network node at the network's edge. Our research perspective is particularly centered around three interrelated mobility challenges, i) the allocation of the security applications “close” to the user, i.e., on network nodes with enhanced processing capabilities, ii) seamless mobility with negligible disruption of ongoing network connections, and iii) dynamic orchestration and management with support of security applications migration. Based on our arguments, we expose the main requirements and trade-offs to be considered in the attempt to support mobility in such environment. We propose a flexible solution that leverages Software Defined Networking, Network Function Virtualization and Computing at the Network Edge to offer a seamless on-path security protection to mobile users. Our preliminary experiments' results considering a WiFi mobile user show that seamless security migration and mobility are feasible in a simple real scenario. Vertical mobility and more complex use cases scenarios are envisioned for future research. Peer Reviewed Document type: Conference object

Abstract

In the invited talk 'Car2x with SDN, NFV and supercomputers' we report about how our past work with SDN [1, 2] allows the design of a smart mobility fieldlab in the huge parking lot the Amsterdam Arena. We explain how we can engineer and test software that handle the complex conditions of the Car2X case. The talk starts by describing the engineering challenges that developers of smart car telecommunications and computing infrastructures face. We concentrate on the development of software defined networks (SDN) that support smart cars optimally and securely over a heterogeneous, dynamic and developing ICT infrastructure. The goal here is to enable smart cars to profit maximally from any bit of information available from fixed and moving objects as well as persons. For example, in a low tech situation, the lack of other options makes that one has to fall back to GPRS to download only traffic jam locations. As a contrast, in an advanced telecom environment video streams from multiple cars are transmitted via 5G pico cells to computers a few millisecond nearby. These computers fuse the video information to generate a local traffic model. In an ultimate situation, cars use all the communications infrastructures that are available including the numerous WiFi hotspots, all generations of mobile telecommunications, the developing car-to-car communications technologies and even the smart phone of a passing person. SDN technologies deal with the complexities of such communication environment. © 2015 IEEE.