Detection of Malicious Nodes in Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

The border surveillance wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are deployed in unattended and hostile environments. This among other issues such as unreliable wireless medium used and the constrained resources (limited energy, processing ability, and storage capacity) on the tiny sensor devices pose a challenge in designing security mechanisms for the WSN. In order to eliminate authentication overhead, most WSN protocols assume a high level of trust among the communicating nodes. However, this creates the danger of adversaries introducing malicious nodes to the sensor network or manipulates existing ones and then subsequently uses them to propagate a wide range of attacks. These necessitate that their detection and isolation be given top priority as malicious nodes can send erroneous or falsified report (Byzantine problem) to the base station leading to a disastrous decision; such as, in battlefield surveillance WSN a misleading report about the enemy operations may result to extra casualties.