Analysis and research of security mechanism in IEEE 802.16j

With the development of wireless technologies, wireless networking market is thriving. IEEE 802.16J mobile multi-hop relay (MMR) network is likely to achieve great market success because it provides an attractive solution for the coverage extension and throughput enhancement of IEEE 802.16e network. However, security issues can restrain its development. IEEE standard 802.16J-2009 has been published in 2009. Although a number of advanced security schemes are employed in IEEE 802.16j, it still has a few security flaws. In this paper, the security architecture is described in IEEE 802.16J standard. The security mechanism of IEEE 802.16J under different mode (centralized security control and distributed security control) is discussed. In particular, the new features on security sublayer in IEEE 802.16J are analyzed in detail. Finally, some possible existed security deficiencies are revealed, and their impacts on multi-hop relay system are assessed.