Wormhole detection in wireless sensor networks using spanning trees

Wireless sensor networks and ad-hoc networks are gaining popularity rapidly due to their ability to solve challenging problems and the fact that, thanks to recent technological advancements, it is now possible to build smarter and denser networks. For example, they serve as the basis of the Internet of Things. Naturally, it is in the users best interest to develop increasingly secure networks. In some cases, the sensors are used in unknown or hostile environments. This and the vulnerability of the wireless communication channels used by arbitrary mobile communication networks means that they are exposed to various kinds of attacks. One of the most severe threats is the wormhole attack because an adversary can start the attack without compromising sensors or breaking through cryptographic defense mechanisms. In this paper, we propose a novel method for detecting wormhole attacks and identifying the affected sensors. Our approach does not rely on using any special measurement, only the connectivity information of the network.