The Rise and Fall and Rise of Combinatorial Key Predistribution

Abstract

Abstract. There are many applications of symmetric cryptography where the only realistic option is to predistribute key material in advance of deployment, rather than provide online key distribution. The problem of how most effectively to predistribute keys is inherently combinatorial. We revisit some early combinatorial key predistribution shemes and discuss their limitations. We then explain why this problem is back "in fashion" after a period of limited attention by the research community. We consider the appropriateness of combinatorial techniques for key distribution and identify potential areas of further research.