Data Integrity and Intrusion Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks are emerging as cost effective solutions to critical applications such as remote monitoring of strategic installations covering large geographical areas, pollution control and disaster recovery. Their ability of self-organization, built-in redundancy and operational capabilities without needing human intervention make Wireless Sensor Networks suitable for such remote monitoring applications. But the unattended operation of WSNs and limited processing capabilities of the individual nodes make them vulnerable to a variety of security attacks, especially disruption of information flow or data corruption. For wired or wireless ad-hoc networks, there exist several automated systems for maintaining their functional integrity. Unfortunately, these strategies are not directly applicable to WSNs since ad-hoc networks are not as resource constrained as WSNs. This paper tries to develop distributed algorithms for detecting anomalous activity in information flow patterns in large-scale sensor networks. These algorithms will be used as building blocks of an integrated system for intrusion detection, attack isolation and fully automated response for assuring WSN survivability and information flow continuity.