Title: Secure and fair auctions over ad hoc networks

Authors: Alia Fourati, Khaldoun Al Agha, Hella Kaffel Ben Ayed

Addresses: INRIA, LRI – University of Paris-SUD XI, Orsay Cedex, 91405, France. ' INRIA, LRI – University of Paris-SUD XI, Orsay Cedex, 91405, France. ' CRISTAL–ENSI, Faculte des Sciences de Tunis, Campus Universitaire d'El Manar, 2092, Le belvedere, Tunisia

Abstract: The emergence of new mobile and wireless networks, with novel capabilities, offers opportunities to widen traditional internet-based applications. In this paper, we focus on a famous and widely used e-commerce application: auctions, and propose their deployment over ad hoc networks. Actually, we specify here this auction model while assuring identified crucial requirements: security and fairness. Security services are provided through threshold cryptography mechanisms whereas fairness is provided through rounds duration calculation. We prove that such a novel mobile commerce application presents advantages with regard to conventional economic models. Evaluations present optimistic results promising a realisable deployment of our auction model.

Keywords: mobile commerce; m-commerce; auctions; ad hoc networks; threshold cryptography; security; fairness; electronic business; wireless networks; mobile networks; e-commerce; electronic commerce; e-business; auction models.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEB.2007.014512

International Journal of Electronic Business, 2007 Vol.5 No.3, pp.276 - 293

Published online: 12 Jul 2007 *

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