Resilient networking in wireless sensor networks

This report deals with security in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), especially in network layer. Multiple secure routing protocols have been proposed in the literature. However, they often use the cryptography to secure routing functionalities. The cryptography alone is not enough to defend against multiple attacks due to the node compromise. Therefore, we need more algorithmic solutions. In this report, we focus on the behavior of routing protocols to determine which properties make them more resilient to attacks. Our aim is to find some answers to the following questions. Are there any existing protocols, not designed initially for security, but which already contain some inherently resilient properties against attacks under which some portion of the network nodes is compromised? If yes, which specific behaviors are making these protocols more resilient? We propose in this report an overview of security strategies for WSNs in general, including existing attacks and defensive measures. In this report we focus at the network layer in particular, and an analysis of the behavior of four particular routing protocols is provided to determine their inherent resiliency to insider attacks. The protocols considered are: Dynamic Source Routing (DSR), Gradient-Based Routing (GBR), Greedy Forwarding (GF) and Random Walk Routing (RWR)

Design of Combined Coverage Area Reporting and Geo-casting of Queries for Wireless Sensor Networks

In order to efficiently deal with queries or other location dependent information, it is key that the wireless sensor network informs gateways what geographical area is serviced by which gateway. The gateways are then able to e.g. efficiently route queries which are only valid in particular regions of the deployment. The proposed algorithms combine coverage area reporting and geographical routing of queries which are injected by gateways.\u

Two-Hop Routing with Traffic-Differentiation for QoS Guarantee in Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper proposes a Traffic-Differentiated Two-Hop Routing protocol for Quality of Service (QoS) in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). It targets WSN applications having different types of data traffic with several priorities. The protocol achieves to increase Packet Reception Ratio (PRR) and reduce end-to-end delay while considering multi-queue priority policy, two-hop neighborhood information, link reliability and power efficiency. The protocol is modular and utilizes effective methods for estimating the link metrics. Numerical results show that the proposed protocol is a feasible solution to addresses QoS service differenti- ation for traffic with different priorities.Comment: 13 page

Dead Reckoning Localization Technique for Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks

Localization in wireless sensor networks not only provides a node with its geographical location but also a basic requirement for other applications such as geographical routing. Although a rich literature is available for localization in static WSN, not enough work is done for mobile WSNs, owing to the complexity due to node mobility. Most of the existing techniques for localization in mobile WSNs uses Monte-Carlo localization, which is not only time-consuming but also memory intensive. They, consider either the unknown nodes or anchor nodes to be static. In this paper, we propose a technique called Dead Reckoning Localization for mobile WSNs. In the proposed technique all nodes (unknown nodes as well as anchor nodes) are mobile. Localization in DRLMSN is done at discrete time intervals called checkpoints. Unknown nodes are localized for the first time using three anchor nodes. For their subsequent localizations, only two anchor nodes are used. The proposed technique estimates two possible locations of a node Using Bezouts theorem. A dead reckoning approach is used to select one of the two estimated locations. We have evaluated DRLMSN through simulation using Castalia simulator, and is compared with a similar technique called RSS-MCL proposed by Wang and Zhu .Comment: Journal Paper, IET Wireless Sensor Systems, 201

An Outline of Security in Wireless Sensor Networks: Threats, Countermeasures and Implementations

With the expansion of wireless sensor networks (WSNs), the need for securing the data flow through these networks is increasing. These sensor networks allow for easy-to-apply and flexible installations which have enabled them to be used for numerous applications. Due to these properties, they face distinct information security threats. Security of the data flowing through across networks provides the researchers with an interesting and intriguing potential for research. Design of these networks to ensure the protection of data faces the constraints of limited power and processing resources. We provide the basics of wireless sensor network security to help the researchers and engineers in better understanding of this applications field. In this chapter, we will provide the basics of information security with special emphasis on WSNs. The chapter will also give an overview of the information security requirements in these networks. Threats to the security of data in WSNs and some of their counter measures are also presented

A Survey on Wireless Sensor Network Security

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have recently attracted a lot of interest in the research community due their wide range of applications. Due to distributed nature of these networks and their deployment in remote areas, these networks are vulnerable to numerous security threats that can adversely affect their proper functioning. This problem is more critical if the network is deployed for some mission-critical applications such as in a tactical battlefield. Random failure of nodes is also very likely in real-life deployment scenarios. Due to resource constraints in the sensor nodes, traditional security mechanisms with large overhead of computation and communication are infeasible in WSNs. Security in sensor networks is, therefore, a particularly challenging task. This paper discusses the current state of the art in security mechanisms for WSNs. Various types of attacks are discussed and their countermeasures presented. A brief discussion on the future direction of research in WSN security is also included.Comment: 24 pages, 4 figures, 2 table

Energy Efficient In-network RFID Data Filtering Scheme in Wireless Sensor Networks

RFID (Radio frequency identification) and wireless sensor networks are backbone technologies for pervasive environments. In integration of RFID and WSN, RFID data uses WSN protocols for multi-hop communications. Energy is a critical issue in WSNs; however, RFID data contains a lot of duplication. These duplications can be eliminated at the base station, but unnecessary transmissions of duplicate data within the network still occurs, which consumes nodes’ energy and affects network lifetime. In this paper, we propose an in-network RFID data filtering scheme that efficiently eliminates the duplicate data. For this we use a clustering mechanism where cluster heads eliminate duplicate data and forward filtered data towards the base station. Simulation results prove that our approach saves considerable amounts of energy in terms of communication and computational cost, compared to existing filtering schemes

Using mobile agents to detect and recover from node compromise in path-based DoS attacks in wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks represent a new generation of real-time embedded systems with significantly different communication constraints from the traditional networked systems. With their development, a new attack called a path-based DoS (PDoS) attack has appeared. In a PDoS attack, an adversary, either inside or outside the network, overwhelms sensor nodes by flooding a multi-hop end-to end communication path with either replayed packets or injected spurious packets. Detection and recovery from PDoS attacks have not been given much attention in the literature. In this article, we propose a solution using mobile agents which can detect PDoS attacks easily and efficiently and recover the compromised nodes.<br /