Secure Routing Optimization in Hierarchical Cluster-Based Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

Popularity of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is increasing continuously in different domains of daily life, as they provide efficient method of collecting valuable data from the surroundings for use in different applications. Routing in WSNs is the vital functionality that allows the flow of information generated by sensor nodes to the base station, while considering the severe energy constraint and the limitations of computational and storage resources. Indeed, this functionality may be vulnerable and must be in itself secured, since conventional routing protocols in WSNs provide efficient routing techniques with low power consumption, but they do not take into account the possible attacks. As sensor nodes may be easily captured and compromised, the classical cryptographic solutions become insufficient to provide optimal routing security, especially, for cluster-based WSNs, where cluster heads can be still among the compromised nodes. In this work, we propose a hierarchical, robust and well-adapted intrusion detection system, named THIDS, which is intended to be integrated into the secure hierarchical cluster-based routing protocols. We have chosen the protocol RLEACH to be equipped with the proposed IDS. The results of simulation performed under NS2 simulator show that the resulting protocol ORLEACH is much more resistant to compromised nodes exercising the most dangerous attacks.