ID-based public key systems allow the user to use his/her identity as the public key, which can simplify key management procedure compared with CA-based public key systems. However, there is an inherent disadvantage in such systems: the problem of private key escrow, i.e., the "trusted" Private Key Generator (PKG) can easily impersonate any user at any time without being detected. Although the problem of escrowing the private key may be reduced by distributing the trust onto multiple centers, it will decrease the efficiency of the systems. Chen et al. first proposed a novel ID-based signature scheme without trusted PKG from bilinear pairings [10], i.e., there is only one PKG who is not assumed to be honest in their scheme. However, the signature scheme cannot be extended to a threshold one. In this paper we propose another ID-based signature scheme without trusted PKG from bilinear pairings. Moreover, we propose an ID-based threshold signature scheme without trusted PKG, which simultaneously overcomes the problem of key escrow and adopts the approach that the private key associated with an identity rather than the master key of PKG is shared.

The concept of Smart-Homes is becoming more and more popular. It is anticipated that Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) technology will play a major role in such environments. We can find many previously proposed schemes that focus solely on: authentication between the RFID tags and readers, and user privacy protection from malicious readers. There has also been much talk of a very popular RFID application: a refrigerator/bookshelf that can scan and list out the details of its items on its display screen. Realizing such an application is not as straight forward as it seems to be, especially in securely deploying such RFID-based applications in a smart home environment. Therefore this paper describes some of the RFID-based applications that are applicable to smart home environments. We then identify their related privacy and security threats and security requirements and also propose a secure approach, where RFID-tagged consumer items, RFID-reader enabled appliances (e.g., refrigerators), and RFID-based applications would securely interact among one another. At the moment our approach is just a conceptual idea, but it sheds light on very important security issues related to RFID-based applications that are beneficial for consumers.

Abstract. In this paper we focus on authentication and privacy aspects of an application scenario that utilizes mobile crowd sensing for the benefit of amusement park operators and their visitors. The scenario involves a mobile app that gathers visitors' demographic details, preferences, and current location coordinates, and sends them to the park's sever for various analyses. These analyses assist the park operators to efficiently deploy their resources, estimate waiting times and queue lengths, and understand the behavior of individual visitors and groups. The app server also offers visitors optimal recommendations on routes and attractions for an improved dynamic experience and minimized wait times. We propose a practical usable solution we call an anonymous authentication of visitors protocol that protects the privacy of visitors even while collecting their details, preferences and location coordinates; deters adversaries outside the park from sending in huge amounts of false data, which lead to erroneous analyses and recommendations and bring down the app server. We utilize queuing theory to analyze the performance of a typical app server receiving numerous simultaneous requests from visitors to process a core function of our protocol.

RFID security is a relatively new research area. Within less than a decade, a large number of research papers dealing with security issues of RFID technology have appeared. In this paper we attempt to summarize current research works in the field of RFID security and discuss some of their open issues. Firstly, we outline the security threats to RFID, then we summarize some of the current countermeasures and finally, we draw attention to the open issues and challenges in RIFD security. • Hash-based Protocols: Weis et. al. [3] introduced two hash-lock based authentication schemes. But they suffer from secret key disclosure problem, impersonation attack and violation of tag anonymity [14]. Ohkubo et.

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