Detecting Wormhole Attacks in Wireless Sensor Networks with Statistical Analysis

Abstract

With the properties of openness and dynamic in topology, wireless sensor networks are challenged with great security threats. In this paper we focus on the wormhole attack which is proved to be particularly dangerous to the resource-limited sensor nodes. We present the SA-TC algorithm for detecting and thus defending against this serious threat. It is based on the on-demand multi-path routings and uses statistical analysis and time constraint to identify the suspected links. It needs neither time synchronization among the sensors nor extra hardwares such as directional antenna and GPS. The simulative experiment shows that SA-TC can detect and locate wormhole attacks successfully and efficiently.