Secure Data Collection in Wireless Sensor Networks Using Randomized Dispersive Routes

Abstract

Abstract-Compromised-node and denial-of-service are two key attacks in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In this paper, we study routing mechanisms that circumvent (bypass) black holes formed by these attacks. We argue that existing multi-path routing approaches are vulnerable to such attacks, mainly due to their deterministic nature. So once an adversary acquires the routing algorithm, it can compute the same routes known to the source, and hence endanger all information sent over these routes. In this paper, we develop mechanisms that generate randomized multipath routes. Under our design, the routes taken by the "shares" of different packets change over time. So even if the routing algorithm becomes known to the adversary, the adversary still cannot pinpoint the routes traversed by each packet. Besides randomness, the routes generated by our mechanisms are also highly dispersive and energy-efficient, making them quite capable of bypassing black holes at low energy cost. Extensive simulations are conducted to verify the validity of our mechanisms. I. INTRODUCTIONOf the various possible security threats that may be experienced by a wireless sensor network (WSN), in this paper we are specifically interested in combating two types of attacks: the compromised-node (CN) attack and the denial-of-service (DOS) attack [12]. The CN attack refers to the situation when an adversary physically compromises a subset of nodes to eavesdrop information, whereas in the DOS attack, the adversary interferes with the normal operation of the WSN by actively disrupting, changing, or even destroying the functionality of a subset of nodes in the system. These two attacks are similar in the sense that they both generate black holes: areas within which the adversary can either passively intercept or actively block information delivery. Due to the unattended nature of WSNs, adversaries can easily produce such black holes [1]. Severe CN and DOS attacks can disrupt normal data delivery between sensor nodes and the sink, or even partition the topology. A conventional cryptography-based security method cannot alone provide satisfactory solutions to these problems. This is because, by definition, once a node is compromised, the adversary can always acquire the encryption/decryption keys of that node, and thus can intercept any information passed through it. At the same time, an adversary can always perform certain form of DOS attack (e.g., jamming) even if it does not have any knowledge of the crypto-system used in the WSN.One remedial solution to these attacks is to exploit the network's routing functionality. Specifically, if the locations of the black holes formed by the compromised (or jammed) nodes are known a priori, then information can be delivered over paths that circumvent (bypass) these holes, whenever possible. In practice, due to the difficulty of acquiring such location information, the above idea is implemented in a probabilistic manner, typically through a two-step process: secret sharing and multi-path routing. First, an infor...

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