Modern Encryption Techniques for Wireless Body Area Networks in E-healthcare: A survey

Healthcare has grown increasingly dependent on Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) for continuous monitoring of patient health metrics and real-time data transmission. Though wearable technology has limited resources and also medical data is sensitive, the integration of WBANs into healthcare systems raises serious security challenges, which require strong encryption methods to safeguard data integrity and restrict unauthorized access to sensitive medical health data. This survey presents a broad overview of modern encryption techniques used in WBANs, particularly as they pertain to e-healthcare applications. To provide secure data access in e-healthcare applications, we explore both conventional and advanced cryptographic techniques, such as lightweight encryption algorithms, identity-based encryption (IBE), attribute-based encryption (ABE), and hybrid encryption techniques. The paper also highlights ECC which works well in resource-constraint environments, making it suitable for WBAN applications. By examining modern issues like computational overhead, latency, and energy efficiency, the paper highlights the significance of a balance between security and performance when implementing encryption for WBANs. This survey aims to give a comprehensive assessment of the current state of encryption techniques used in e-healthcare, as well as suggestions for future research directions that could improve the security of next-generation healthcare systems. The ultimate goal is to protect patient data without sacrificing the effectiveness of medical services.