Location Verification using Secure Distance Bounding Protocols

Abstract—Authentication in conventional networks (like the Internet) is usually based upon something you know (e.g., a password), something you have (e.g., a smartcard) or something you are (biometrics). In mobile ad–hoc networks, location in-formation can also be used to authenticate devices and users. We will focus on how a prover can securely show that (s)he is within a certain distance to a verifier. Brands and Chaum proposed the distance bounding protocol as a secure solution for this problem. However, this protocol is vulnerable to a so– called “terrorist fraud attack”. In this paper, we will explain how to modify the distance bounding protocol to make it resistant to this kind of attacks. Recently, two other secure distance bounding protocols were published. We will discuss the properties of these protocols and show how to use it as a building block in a location verification scheme. I