Development and implementation of authenticated multi-user mobile Java applications

Across the globe mobile devices are a facet of everyday life. The technology that is encapsulated within these units is accelerating at a phenomenal rate. The addition of a wide range of network connectivity, from InfraRed (IR) to Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and more predominantly Bluetooth, has increased the scope of the applications that can be developed and utilised within this market. The demands of ever evolving technology within mobile phones places large burdens on developers to deploy applications to market at an equal rate. Previous pieces of research have highlighted the benefits of utilising a framework in the development of applications. Through the use of Iterative modeling and software prototypes this paper presents an application framework to reduce the complexity and knowledge base necessary to construct a Bluetooth multi-user application. To reduce hardware dependency the framework has been developed on Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME). It is also identified that Bluetooth technology within resource restricted devices is prone to security issues. The issues surrounding human interaction in device authentication are addressed by this paper through the addition of an automated Diffie-Hellman key exchange authentication connection process.