Interlayer Attacks in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

In this paper, we demonstrate a new class of protocol-compliant exploits that initiates at the MAC layer but targets ad hoc on-demand routing mechanisms. A misbehaved node implementing this type of attacks completely follows the specifications of IEEE802.11 standard and the existing on-demand routing protocols. However, it can cause routing shortcut attacks or detour attacks. We detail the exploits against two on-demand routing protocols: AODV and DSR. We evaluate the impact of such attacks on the network performance and propose Prevention from Shortcut Attack and Detour Attack (PSD) to mitigate their impacts