Securing Cluster Formation and Cluster Head Elections in Wireless Sensor Networks

In wireless sensor networks, clustering plays a very important role for energy savings at each node because it reduces the number of transmissions through TDMA based communication. For secure clustering, it is very crucial to find compromised nodes and remove them during the initial cluster formation process. If some nodes are compromised and survive from the exclusion process of normal nodes, they can make some nodes have a different membership view in the same cluster and consequently separate a cluster into multiple clusters. To resolve these problems, we propose a robust scheme against such attacks in this paper. First, our scheme generates large sized clusters to improve the quality of clusters. Second, our scheme exploits the verification of two hop distant nodes to maintain the quality of the large sized clusters and avoids the separation of the clusters. In addition, our scheme prefers broadcast transmissions to reduce the energy consumption of nodes. We prove that our scheme generates fewer clusters and is more secure and energy-efficient than its rival scheme through security analysis and simulation results. With regard to CH election, we also propose a scheme which securely elects CHs by recognizing the compromised nodes and depriving them of their CH candidacy. To this aim, each node in a cluster calculates reputation values of other CH candidates according to their behavior and distributes them through a broadcast. Then each node extracts substantial reputation values of CH candidates using the distributed reputation values. Next, each node evaluates the substantial reputation values of other CH candidates and excludes some disreputable nodes from CH candidates. The scheme greatly improves non-manipulability and agreement property of CH election results in comparison with other rival schemes. Moreover, the scheme guarantees higher non-manipulability and agreement property than other rival schemes, even in a loss-prone environment

Wireless Sensor Technologies and Applications

Recent years have witnessed tremendous advances in the design and applications of wirelessly networked and embedded sensors. Wireless sensor nodes are typically low-cost, low-power, small devices equipped with limited sensing, data processing and wireless communication capabilities, as well as power supplies. They leverage the concept of wireless sensor networks (WSNs), in which a large (possibly huge) number of collaborative sensor nodes could be deployed. As an outcome of the convergence of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology, wireless communications, and digital electronics, WSNs represent a significant improvement over traditional sensors. In fact, the rapid evolution of WSN technology has accelerated the development and deployment of various novel types of wireless sensors, e.g., multimedia sensors. Fulfilling Moore’s law, wireless sensors are becoming smaller and cheaper, and at the same time more powerful and ubiquitous. [...

Smart Wireless Sensor Networks

The recent development of communication and sensor technology results in the growth of a new attractive and challenging area - wireless sensor networks (WSNs). A wireless sensor network which consists of a large number of sensor nodes is deployed in environmental fields to serve various applications. Facilitated with the ability of wireless communication and intelligent computation, these nodes become smart sensors which do not only perceive ambient physical parameters but also be able to process information, cooperate with each other and self-organize into the network. These new features assist the sensor nodes as well as the network to operate more efficiently in terms of both data acquisition and energy consumption. Special purposes of the applications require design and operation of WSNs different from conventional networks such as the internet. The network design must take into account of the objectives of specific applications. The nature of deployed environment must be considered. The limited of sensor nodes� resources such as memory, computational ability, communication bandwidth and energy source are the challenges in network design. A smart wireless sensor network must be able to deal with these constraints as well as to guarantee the connectivity, coverage, reliability and security of network's operation for a maximized lifetime. This book discusses various aspects of designing such smart wireless sensor networks. Main topics includes: design methodologies, network protocols and algorithms, quality of service management, coverage optimization, time synchronization and security techniques for sensor networks

Intelligent detection of black hole attacks for secure communication in autonomous and connected vehicles

Detection of Black Hole attacks is one of the most challenging and critical routing security issues in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) and autonomous and connected vehicles (ACVs). Malicious vehicles or nodes may exist in the cyber-physical path on which the data and control packets have to be routed converting a secure and reliable route into a compromised one. However, instead of passing packets to a neighbouring node, malicious nodes bypass them and drop any data packets that could contain emergency alarms. We introduce an intelligent black hole attack detection scheme (IDBA) tailored to ACV. We consider four key parameters in the design of the scheme, namely, Hop Count, Destination Sequence Number, Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR), and End-to-End delay (E2E). We tested the performance of our IDBA against AODV with Black Hole (BAODV), Intrusion Detection System (IdsAODV), and EAODV algorithms. Extensive simulation results show that our IDBA outperforms existing approaches in terms of PDR, E2E, Routing Overhead, Packet Loss Rate, and Throughput

A Novel Cooperative Intrusion Detection System for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) have experienced rapid growth in their use for various military, medical, and commercial scenarios. This is due to their dynamic nature that enables the deployment of such networks, in any target environment, without the need for a pre-existing infrastructure. On the other hand, the unique characteristics of MANETs, such as the lack of central networking points, limited wireless range, and constrained resources, have made the quest for securing such networks a challenging task. A large number of studies have focused on intrusion detection systems (IDSs) as a solid line of defense against various attacks targeting the vulnerable nature of MANETs. Since cooperation between nodes is mandatory to detect complex attacks in real time, various solutions have been proposed to provide cooperative IDSs (CIDSs) in efforts to improve detection efficiency. However, all of these solutions suffer from high rates of false alarms, and they violate the constrained-bandwidth nature of MANETs. To overcome these two problems, this research presented a novel CIDS utilizing the concept of social communities and the Dempster-Shafer theory (DST) of evidence. The concept of social communities was intended to establish reliable cooperative detection reporting while consuming minimal bandwidth. On the other hand, DST targeted decreasing false accusations through honoring partial/lack of evidence obtained solely from reliable sources. Experimental evaluation of the proposed CIDS resulted in consistently high detection rates, low false alarms rates, and low bandwidth consumption. The results of this research demonstrated the viability of applying the social communities concept combined with DST in achieving high detection accuracy and minimized bandwidth consumption throughout the detection process

Emerging Communications for Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks are deployed in a rapidly increasing number of arenas, with uses ranging from healthcare monitoring to industrial and environmental safety, as well as new ubiquitous computing devices that are becoming ever more pervasive in our interconnected society. This book presents a range of exciting developments in software communication technologies including some novel applications, such as in high altitude systems, ground heat exchangers and body sensor networks. Authors from leading institutions on four continents present their latest findings in the spirit of exchanging information and stimulating discussion in the WSN community worldwide

Ensuring consensus on trust issues in capability-limited node networks with Blockchain technology

Σε αυτή τη διπλωματική εργασία, εξετάζουμε πώς θα μπορούσε να εφαρμοστεί το πρωτόκολλο blockchain, ώστε να διασφαλιστεί η συναίνεση των κόμβων του δικτύου σε θέματα εμπιστοσύνης, λαμβάνοντας παράλληλα υπόψη τους περιορισμένους πόρους των κόμβων. Αρχικά, θα παρουσιάσουμε το σύστημα στο οποίο θα εργαστούμε, ένα Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) το οποίο χρησιμοποιεί ένα σχήμα ομαδοποίησης, βασισμένο στην έννοια του κόστους ανάλυσης/επεξεργασίας, μαζί με έναν μηχανισμό εμπιστοσύνης που από κοινού έχουν ως αποτέλεσμα τη διαρκή και γρήγορη ανακάλυψη κακόβουλων κόμβων. Στη συνέχεια, θα παρουσιάσουμε το πρωτόκολλο blockchain και τις κύριες έννοιές του. Μια ανασκόπηση της σχετικής εργασίας θα διεξαχθεί για να αξιολογηθούν οι διάφορες προσεγγίσεις που χρησιμοποιούνται από άλλους για την ενσωμάτωση του πρωτοκόλλου blockchain στα αντίστοιχα συστήματά τους. Στη συνέχεια, θα παρουσιαστεί αναλυτικά το Hyperledger Fabric framework, το οποίο θα βοηθήσει στην εφαρμογή του προτεινόμενου συστήματος. Τέλος, θα παρουσιαστεί το προτεινόμενο σύστημα, το οποίο συγχωνεύει τη δεδομένη προσομοίωση MANET με την τεχνολογία blockchain μέσα από το Hyperledger Fabric και θα συζητηθούν τα αποτελέσματά του. Η ανάλυσή μας θα περιλαμβάνει, επίσης, αξιολόγηση της αποτελεσματικότητάς του στην διασφάλιση της συναίνεσης των κόμβων σε θέματα εμπιστοσύνης και πιθανές μελλοντικές βελτιώσεις.In this thesis, we review how the blockchain protocol could be applied so as to ensure the consensus of the network nodes on matters of trust, while taking into account the limited resources of the nodes. First, we will present the system we will be working on, a Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) which uses a clustering scheme, based on the cost of analysis/processing concept, along with a trust mechanism that together result in cluster persistence and quick discovery of malicious nodes. Then, we will introduce the blockchain protocol and its main concepts. A review of related work will be conducted to assess the various approaches utilized by others in incorporating the blockchain protocol into their respective systems. Subsequently, the Hyperledger Fabric framework, which shall aid in the implementation of the proposed system, shall be presented in detail. Finally, the proposed system, which merges the given MANET simulation with the blockchain technology enabled by Hyperledger Fabric, will be presented, and its results discussed. Our analysis will also include an evaluation of its effectiveness in addressing consensus on trust issues, and possible avenues for future enhancements

Enhanced stability of cluster-based location service mechanism for urban vehicular ad hoc networks

Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) are gaining tremendous research interest in developing an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) for smart cities. The position of vehicles plays a significant role in ITS applications and services such as public emergency, vehicles tracking, resource discovery, traffic monitoring and position-based routing. The location service is used to keep up-to-date records of current positions of vehicles. A review of previous literatures, found various locationbased service mechanisms have been proposed to manage the position of vehicles. The cluster-based location service mechanisms have achieved growing attention due to their advantages such as scalability, reliability and reduced communication overhead. However, the performance of the cluster-based location service mechanism depends on the stability of the cluster, and the stability of the cluster depends on the stability of the Cluster Head (CH), Cluster Member (CM) and cluster maintenance. In the existing cluster-based location service schemes, the issue of CH instability arises due to the non-optimal cluster formation range and unreliable communication link with Road Side Unit (RSU). The non-optimal cluster formation range causes CH instability due to lack of uniqueness of Centroid Vehicle (CV), uncertainty of participating vehicles in the CH election process and unreliability of the Cluster Head Election Value (CHEV). Also, the unreliable link with RSU does not guarantee that CH is stable with respect to its CMs and RSU simultaneously. The issue of CM instability in the existing cluster-based location service schemes occurs due to using instantaneous speed of the CH and fixed CM affiliation threshold values. The instantaneous speed causes the CM to switch the clusters frequently and fixed CM affiliation threshold values increase isolated vehicles. The frequent switching of isolated vehicles augment the CM instability. Moreover, the inefficient cluster maintenance due to non-optimal cluster merging and cluster splitting also contributes to cluster instability. The merging conditions such as fixed merging threshold time and uncertain movement of overlapping CHs within merging threshold time cause the cluster instability. Furthermore, the unnecessary clustering during cluster splitting around the intersection due to CH election parameters also increases cluster instability. Therefore, to address the aforementioned cluster instability issues, Enhanced Stability of Cluster-based Location Service (ESCLS) mechanism was proposed for urban VANETs. The proposed ESCLS mechanism consists of three complementary schemes which are Reliable Cluster Head Election (RCHE), Dynamic Cumulative Cluster Member Affiliation (DCCMA) and Optimized Cluster Maintenance (OCM). Firstly, the aim of the RCHE scheme was to enhance the stability of the CH through optimizing the cluster formation range and by considering communication link reliability with the RSU. Secondly, the DCCMA scheme focussed on improving the stability of the CMs by considering the Cumulative Moving Average Speed (CMAS) of the CH and dynamic CM affiliation threshold values, and finally, the OCM scheme enhanced the cluster stability by improving cluster merging conditions and reducing unnecessary clustering in cluster splitting. The results of the simulation verified the improved performance of the ESCLS in terms of increasing the location query success rate by 34%, and decreasing the query response delay and localization error by 24% and 35% respectively as compared to the existing cluster-based location service schemes such as HCBLS, CBLS and MoGLS. In conclusion, it is proven that ESCLS is a suitable location service mechanism for a wide range of position-based applications of VANETs that require timely and accurate vehicle locations