WSNs

Wireless Sensor Networks and Its Security Issues



Introduction2

Prevention-Based Safety4

Detection-Based Techniques4

Problem Statement4

Implementation Issues5

Resource Constraints5

Continuously Changing Position6

Continuous Data Streaming6

Varying Routing Protocols6

Lack of Intelligent IDS Models6

Lack of Standards6

Aims and Objectives7

Research Design7

Primary Research8

Interview Data Collection8

Questionnaire Data Collection8

Secondary Research9

Personal Reflection9

Rule-Based9

Malicious Node Detection9

Neighbor-Based10

Fuzzy Logic10

Support Vector Machines (SVM)10

Optimized ID with Genetic Algorithm (GA)10

Hidden-Markove Model (HMM)11

The Game Theory:11

Group-Based System11

Auto Regression Technique11

Reference13

Wireless Sensor Networks and Its Security Issues

Introduction

A wireless sensor network (WSN) is a collection of dispersed self-sufficient sensors that are used for the monitoring of various physical conditions these physical conditions may include sound, temperature, pressure and the location of an object. These wireless sensors have the capability to store a small amount of data and to transfer it to a remote location. This data is then collected and processed at the central location. Nowadays the sensors used for this purpose, has the ability to receive and transmit information to and from the central location, these sensors are known as bi-directional sensors. These sensors and its networks are also used for military applications such as battlefield surveillance. Such applications of these sensors make them critical as the data transferred here has a nature of high confidentiality. Moreover, these networks are also used in many industrial applications for the monitoring and control of the machines.

These WSNs offer a great combination of widespread sensing, computing and communication of a wide range of distributed data. At the same time, they create a number of challenges related to the privacy of data, mainly because of their unsystematic, random and unattended deployment and restrictions of the resources (Alemdar, 2007).

The application of wireless sensors can be categorized into two groups: i.e. Monitoring and Tracking. These categories are then divided into a number of sub-categories. A large amount of these monitoring and tracking systems has previously been employed to the public, industry and research based services (Yick et al., 2008).

Intrusion Detection System

An Intrusion Detection System can be defined as, A system that carefully observes and monitors the actions taking place in a system and evaluates whether these actions are an indication of an intrusion or representation of a valid use of the system" (Black et al., 1999). Intrusion Detection Systems are employed as the secondary defense against internal and external network attacks that are not adequately addressed by the preventive mechanisms (Silva et al., 2005). The different techniques used for the detection of intrusion in a wireless sensor network are as follows:

Prevention-Based Safety

To guard WSNs against different kinds of attacks and breaches, preventive-security techniques like authentication and cryptography can be used. This kind of preventive system is not successful against all kinds of security breaches, like wormholes and sinkholes they are used as the first line of defense for WSNs (Silva et al., 2005).

Detection-Based Techniques

Detection-based techniques are now anticipated securing WSNs from the intrusions. The detection-based protection is used as the secondary defense in case of the failure of the prevention-based protection systems. A lot of other methods have also been used for the protection of WSNs (Rassam ...