Method and apparatus for providing secure communication in a self-organizing network

A system comprising:

• one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
• obtaining, by a processor at a first network node of a distributed, self-organizing network, a value of a security profile selection parameter based at least on a physical communication link type, a channel type, a channel characteristic, a network interface type, a physical communication link identifier, or an endpoint identifier;
• discovering, by a processor at a second network node of the distributed, self-organizing network, the first network node of the distributed, self-organizing network;
• selecting, by the processor at the first network node, a particular security profile that (i) is associated with the value of the security profile selection parameter in a table of one or more security profiles respectively associated with one or more security profile selection parameters and (ii) is used to encrypt a communication session that is being initiated between the first network node and the second network node of the distributed, self-organizing network, from among one or more security profiles that were stored on a memory device of the first network node before the first network node was discovered by the second network node;
• generating, by the processor at the first network node in response to selecting the particular security profile with which to encrypt the communication session that is being initiated between the first network node and the second network node, an authentication challenge message that includes (i) an encrypted portion that is encrypted based on the selected particular security profile that is associated with the value of the security profile selection parameter in the table, and (ii) an unencrypted portion that identifies the selected particular security profile that is associated with the value of the security profile selection parameter in the table;
• transmitting, by the processor at the first network node, the authentication challenge message from the first network node to the second network node;
• and
• in response to receiving the encrypted authentication challenge message at the second network node, decrypting, by the processor at the second network node, the authentication challenge message based on the particular security profile that was selected by the processor at the first network node, and in response, authenticating the first network node of the distributed, self-organizing network.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

• obtaining, by a processor at a first network node of a distributed, self-organizing network, a value of a security profile selection parameter based at least on a physical communication link type, a channel type, a channel characteristic, a network interface type, a physical communication link identifier, or an endpoint identifier;
• discovering, by a processor at a second network node of the distributed, self-organizing network, the first network node of the distributed, self-organizing network;
• selecting, by the processor at the first network node, a particular security profile that (i) is associated with the value of the security profile selection parameter in a table of one or more security profiles respectively associated with one or more security profile selection parameters and (ii) is used to encrypt a communication session that is being initiated between the first network node and the second network node of the distributed, self-organizing network, from among one or more security profiles that were stored on a memory device of the first network node before the first network node was discovered by the second network node;
• generating, by the processor at the first network node in response to selecting the particular security profile with which to encrypt the communication session that is being initiated between the first network node and the second network node, an authentication challenge message that includes (i) an encrypted portion that is encrypted based on the selected particular security profile that is associated with the value of the security profile selection parameter in the table, and (ii) an unencrypted portion that identifies the selected particular security profile that is associated with the value of the security profile selection parameter in the table;
• transmitting, by the processor at the first network node, the authentication challenge message from the first network node to the second network node;
• and
• in response to receiving the encrypted authentication challenge message at the second network node, decrypting, by the processor at the second network node, the authentication challenge message based on the particular security profile that was selected by the processor at the first network node, and in response, authenticating the first network node of the distributed, self-organizing network.