Secure Emergent Data Protection Scheme for a Space-Terrestrial Integrated Network

With the continuous development and increasing popularity of satellite networks, more and more countries and researchers are focusing on proposing communication solutions for satellite networks. The space-terrestrial integrated network (STIN) concept is proposed for terrestrial users to communicate with satellite networks. STIN is mainly composed of a space-based backbone network, a space-based access network, and a terrestrial backbone network to provide services for all types of space-based users, aviation-based users, marine-based users, and land-based users. For instance, marine-based users often encounter sudden accidents in distant oceans, which may need emergency rescue with the help of STIN. The emergency data involved in the rescue is often users' private data and needs to be protected. In this article, we propose a novel secure emergency data protection scheme for such users in a STIN. The novel scheme is composed of three phases: emergency data transmission, group block-design- based key agreement, and secure satellite information acquisition. The performance analysis shows that the novel scheme is secure and efficient.