An Adaptive Key Redistribution Method for Filtering-based Wireless Sensor Networks

• Jin Myoung Kim,
• Hae Young Lee,

Vol. 14, No. 6, June 30, 2020
10.3837/tiis.2020.06.011, Download Paper (Free):

• False positive attacks
• Mitigation
• key re-distribution
• Security
• Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

In wireless sensor networks, adversaries may physically capture sensor nodes on the fields, and use them to launch false positive attacks (FPAs). FPAs could be conducted by injecting forged or old sensing reports, which would represent non-existent events on the fields, with the goal of disorientating the base stations and/or reducing the limited energy resources of sensor nodes on the fields. Researchers have proposed various mitigation methods against FPAs, including the statistical en-route filtering scheme (SEF). Most of these methods are based on key pre-distribution schemes and can efficiently filter injected false reports out at relay nodes through the verification of in-transit reports using the pre-distributed keys. However, their filtering power may decrease as time goes by since adversaries would attempt to capture additional nodes as many as possible. In this paper, we propose an adaptive key distribution method that could maintain the security power of SEF in WSNs under such circumstances. The proposed method makes, if necessary, BS update or re-distribute keys, which are used to endorse and verify reports, with the consideration of the filtering power and energy efficiency. Our experimental results show that the proposed method is more effective, compared to SEF, against FPAs in terms of security level and energy saving.

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