FBSR: feedback‐based secure routing protocol for wireless sensor networks

Abstract

Purpose

Wireless sensor networks, due to their potentially wide application perspectives, may proliferate in future. Two major stumbling blocks are the dynamic variance of the network caused by both the capacity constraint of sensor nodes and uncertainties of wireless links, and secure routing in the special security sensitive environment. Therefore, adaptable and defendable routing mechanism is in urgent need for the deployment of sensor networks. This paper aims to propose a feedback‐based secure routing protocol (FBSR).

Design/methodology/approach

Feedback from the neighboring nodes serves as the dynamic information of the current network, with which sensor nodes make forwarding decisions in a secure and energy aware manner. Feedback message is included in the MAC layer acknowledgement frame to avoid network congestion, and it is authenticated with the proposed Keyed One Way Hash Chain (Keyed‐OWHC) to avoid feedback fabrication. FBSR's resilience to node compromise is enhanced by statistic efforts accomplished by the base station.

Findings

Both mathematical analysis and simulation results show that FBSR is not only reliable but also energy efficient.

Originality/value

The paper introduces a novel routing scheme for wireless sensor networks.

Citation

Cao, Z., Hu, J., Chen, Z., Xu, M. and Zhou, X. (2008), "FBSR: feedback‐based secure routing protocol for wireless sensor networks", International Journal of Pervasive Computing and Communications, Vol. 4 No. 1, pp. 61-76. https://doi.org/10.1108/17427370810873110