Cross-Layer Design for the Security of Wireless Sensor Networks

Improved security is especially important for the success of the wireless sensor network (WSN), because the data collected are often sensitive and the network is particularly vulnerable. While a number of approaches have been proposed to provide security solutions against various threats to the WSN, most of which are based on the layered design. In this paper, we point out that these layered approaches are often inadequate and inefficient, and it is advantageous to break with the conventional layering rules and design the security scheme for the WSN based on information from several protocol layers. We overview the existing schemes for the cross-layer design of WSN security and propose some new solutions. A few open problems in this area are also discussed