Detection and Mitigation of Attacks in MANETs: A Comprehensive Survey of Security Techniques

MANETs are decentralized and self-organizing networks with no fixed infrastructure. They are very flexible but, at the same time are vulnerable to the huge diversity of security threats. The dynamic topology and the lack of central control along with the reliance on wireless communication expose MANETs to several attacks, which are blackhole, wormhole, Sybil, and DoS attacks. This is a survey paper that covers the most common security threats towards MANETs and probes for different detection and prevention techniques proposed to mitigate those risks. Various methodology are examined, ranging from cryptographic methods and trust-based models to machine learning and intrusion detection systems, comparing the effectiveness, scalability, and adaptability of those approaches in different network environments. The paper further outlines some real strengths and weaknesses of the currently used solutions, indicates potential key challenges, and states the future directions that could form the way for strengthening the security capabilities of MANETs with respect to evolving emerging technologies such as 5G and beyond. The aim is to demonstrate the ongoing state of the attack detection and prevention in MANETs, thereby offering insights into promising research opportunities.