Type
Text
Type
Thesis
Advisor
Wong, Jennifer | Samir Das | Jie Gao.
Date
2010-05-01
Keywords
Actuation Attack, Denial of Service, Hostile Actuator, Reliability, Security, Wireless Sensor Network | Computer Science
Department
Department of Computer Science
Language
en_US
Source
This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/11401/70945
Publisher
The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
Format
application/pdf
Abstract
Wireless sensor networks are built using tiny wireless sensor devices which have limited computational power and energy resources, as a result of which they can be subjected to various security compromises, including denial-of-service attacks. A particularly detrimental active denial-of-service attack that damages the sensing fidelity of wireless sensor networks is known as the Actuation attack, where hostile actuator (or actor) nodes belonging to a foreign network directly perturb or distort the environmental conditions being monitored. In this thesis we explore the loss of availability and reliability of wireless sensor networks ensuing from a proposed resilient Actuation attack which uses randomness and discontinuity to remain imperceptible. We demonstrate how the attack is designed to collect intelligence, without compromising any nodes or data packets, and to exercise caution to evade detection. We show how various factors, such as the frequency of actuation, topology of sensor network, forwarding scheme used by the network, and density of hostile nodes impact the efficacy of the attack. We discuss several possible techniques to defend against the proposed Actuation attack, and analyze their effectiveness. Finally, we conclude that it is increasingly difficult to control or detect an attack of this form owing to its random and asymmetric nature.
Recommended Citation
Bhattacharyya, Aneeta, "A Resilient Actuation Attack on Wireless Sensor Networks" (2010). Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions). 153.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/stony-brook-theses-and-dissertations-collection/153