Evaluation of Security Aspects of Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks require multiple robust security policy implementations in place to effectively secure any data that is being transmitted from or received by it. This in turn, requires efficient security policies and methods designed such that in the case of any attack, data is always protected. A single policy, while being efficient by itself, will not secure the network to the required extent against all types of attacks. Multiple security methods must be implemented in a layered manner in order to provide robust security. In this paper, broad categories of applications of Wireless Sensor Networks, and a brief description of these applications with a focus on security critical use cases such as the military are studied. Security goals and types of attacks with the corresponding countermeasures are evaluated. Various existing implementations of Wireless Sensor Network security protocols are reviewed, and the drawbacks of these methods are discussed. Proposals to overcome these drawbacks are suggested in the final sections of the paper.