TY - GEN
T1 - Defending DoS attacks on broadcast authentication in wireless sensor networks
AU - Du, Xiaojiang
AU - Xiao, Yang
AU - Guizani, Mohsen
AU - Chen, Hsiao Hwa
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - Security is critical for wireless sensor networks deployed in military, homeland security and other hostile environments. In this paper, we study a security issue related with broadcast in sensor networks. Due to the broadcast nature of wireless communications, often it is more efficient to broadcast packets to sensor nodes. Typically, broadcast authentication is achieved by digital signatures. Since digital signature operations are expensive for small sensor nodes, an attacker can launch a serious Denial of Service (DoS) attack. That is, an attacker may forge a large number of broadcast messages with digital signatures, and then force sensor nodes to verify these signatures, which can cause them run out of power. In this paper, we present an effective and efficient scheme that can defend such DoS attack on broadcast authentication. Our performance evaluation shows that the scheme is much more secure and efficient than an existing scheme.
AB - Security is critical for wireless sensor networks deployed in military, homeland security and other hostile environments. In this paper, we study a security issue related with broadcast in sensor networks. Due to the broadcast nature of wireless communications, often it is more efficient to broadcast packets to sensor nodes. Typically, broadcast authentication is achieved by digital signatures. Since digital signature operations are expensive for small sensor nodes, an attacker can launch a serious Denial of Service (DoS) attack. That is, an attacker may forge a large number of broadcast messages with digital signatures, and then force sensor nodes to verify these signatures, which can cause them run out of power. In this paper, we present an effective and efficient scheme that can defend such DoS attack on broadcast authentication. Our performance evaluation shows that the scheme is much more secure and efficient than an existing scheme.
KW - Authentication
KW - Broadcast
KW - DoS attacks
KW - Security
KW - Sensor networks
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=51249105540&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=51249105540&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/ICC.2008.319
DO - 10.1109/ICC.2008.319
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:51249105540
SN - 9781424420742
T3 - IEEE International Conference on Communications
SP - 1653
EP - 1657
BT - ICC 2008 - IEEE International Conference on Communications, Proceedings
T2 - IEEE International Conference on Communications, ICC 2008
Y2 - 19 May 2008 through 23 May 2008
ER -