Proceedings of the fifth ACM conference on Security and Privacy in Wireless and Mobile Networks

Abstract

Wireless technologies have had significant impact on how society views computing and communication. Ubiquitous network access has caused a dramatic shift in how we apply network services, moving us ever closer towards the anytime anywhere promise of the mobile Internet. However, the same affordability and availability of technologies that make them so attractive also make them an enticing target for security threats. As a community, we are asked to continuously adapt and expand our definition of wireless security. Achieving security and privacy over an open broadcast medium using affordable and increasingly programmable devices in an environment where new mobile and social applications are continuously deployed (often without accounting for security into their design) is fraught with challenges. Compounded by the fact that security associations must be made without prior trust relationships, these challenges call for new techniques to address the emergence of new types of threats. The ACM Conference on Security and Privacy in Wireless and Mobile Networks has been a premier venue for researchers in security and privacy to present the latest research in the field. It has also served as a forum for fostering international collaboration to address eminent security threats faced by our society. Over the years, we have seen an evolution in research, from traditional network security to complex, multi-faceted security problems that cannot be effectively addressed using conventional techniques. In particular, we have witnessed the emergence of new systems (e.g., cognitive radios, RFID, vehicular networks, 4G/WiMax), the widespread deployment of new communication platforms (e.g., smartphones) and of their applications (e.g., social media), as well as an increased awareness of privacy issues associated with these emerging technologies. The WiSec'12 call-for-papers attracted 63 submissions from Asia, Australia, Europe, and the United States. We saw many exciting papers cross our (virtual) desks, and after a thorough review process (many thanks to the reviewers for their diligence), we arrived at a collection of 17 papers that we felt are mature and ready to be presented to the security community and to be included in the conference proceedings. The 17 accepted papers can be broadly classified into the following themes: Physical-layer security for systems Privacy in systems Mobile device and application security Supply chain and manufacturing security Foundations of network security We have chosen to arrange the talks according to these rough topical areas, realizing that such a classification is never perfect and hoping that the authors and the audience appreciate all the talks for their individual and collective merit. In addition to the research papers being presented at the conference, we also have two exciting keynotes, to be delivered by Dr. Ed Felten, Princeton University and the Federal Trade Commission (Toward a Healthy Wireless Privacy Ecosystem) and Dr. Tadayoshi Kohno, University of Washington (Security for Cyber-physical Systems: Case Studies with Medical Devices, Robots, and Automobiles). We are fortunate to have both speakers, who have made significant contributions to security research at various levels, ranging from foundational contributions in cryptography, to system implementations and hacks, to guiding public policy. In addition to the two keynotes, the program includes two exciting panels, which aim at engaging industry, government, and academia in defining the problem space for security and privacy in and mobile networks. Finally, we have included a poster session, with the goal of encouraging researchers to share their work-in-progress. We sincerely hope that you will take the opportunity to visit these posters and interact with their presenters.