A framework for secure device pairing by demonstration of physical proximity

Ad-hoc interactions between devices over wireless networks present a security problem: the generation of shared secrets to initialize secure communication over a medium that is inherently vulnerable to various attacks. However, these scenarios can also build on physical security of spaces by using protocols in which users visibly demonstrate their presence to generate an association. As a consequence, secure device pairing has received significant attention. A plethora of schemes and protocols have been proposed, which use various forms of out-of-band exchange to form an association between two devices. These protocols and schemes have different strengths and weaknesses - often in hardware requirements, strength against various attacks or usability in particular scenarios. From an ordinary user's pointof view, the problem then becomes which to choose or which is the best possible scheme in a particular scenario. This problem could be relieved by automation. We advocate that the integration of a discovery mechanism, several pairing schemes and a selection protocol into a single system is more efficient for users. In this paper, we present such a system along with its implementation details.