Traffic profiling of wireless sensor networks

Abstract

Network security is vital in wireless networks that are widely used today. We desire wireless networks that maintain a high degree of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Wireless sensor networks pose unique challenges and limitations to the traditional schemes, which are used in the other wireless networks for security protection, and are due mainly to the increased vulnerability of physical attacks, energy and communication limitations. This thesis introduces the foundations of a network and anomaly-based Intrusion Detection System (IDS) tool, including both hardware and software components, that can be used for traffic profiling and monitoring of a wireless sensor network. The work demostrates how the IDS should capture and store traffic and use this information to create traffic profiles and baselines for normal traffic behavior. Then it describes how these baselines can be used to generate alerts based on traffic variations that imply possible attacks. Profiles on typical implementations of wireless sensor networks were observed and analyzed. Finally, initial indications from basic analysis of wireless sensor network traffic demonstrated a high degree of self-similarity.