Security of Sensor Networks

Abstract

This thesis discusses the security of sensor networks. First, descriptions of the security architectures of two dominant sensor network implementations in the market today are presented: the TinyOS stack and the IEEE 802.15.4 stack. Their similarities and differences are explored and their strengths and limitations are discussed. Where applicable, comparisons are made with the IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN to highlight improvements and lessons learned. It is pointed out that, in general, IEEE 802.15.4 offers better security, but replay protection is effectively missing in today's implementations and access control is poorly implemented. Consequently, TinyOS is still the better option for devices with severe resource constraints. Finally, as a tool to aid in the security analysis of sensor networks, the design and implementation of a TinyOS sniffer are discussed and captured frames for a simple sensor network application are analyzed for the purpose of validation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2006
Accession Number
ADA457718

Entities

People

  • Hong-siang Teo

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Computer Access Control
  • Computer Network Security
  • Computer Networks
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Programs
  • Computers
  • Data Links
  • Detectors
  • Mesh Networks
  • Network Protocols
  • Network Science
  • Operating Systems
  • Security Protocols
  • Sensor Networks
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Wireless Networks
  • Wireless Sensor Networks

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Computer Networking
  • Systems Analysis and Design