From Time Domain to Space Domain: Detecting Replica Attacks in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

—A common vulnerability of wireless networks, in particular, the mobile ad hoc network (MANET), is their susceptibility to node compromise/physical capture attacks since the wireless devices are often not protected by tamper-resistant hardware due to small form factors and low cost, and can be easily stolen/lost or temporarily controlled by unauthorized entities due to their harsh working environments. A serious consequence of the device capture attack is the node replication attacks in which adversaries deploy a large number of replicas of the compromised/captured nodes throughout the network. Replicated nodes have all legitimate security credentials and therefore can launch various insider attacks, or even take over the network easily. They are indeed “attack multipliers” and therefore are extremely destructive to the network. Detecting replication attacks is a nontrivial problem in MANETs due to the challenges resulted from node mobility, cloned/compromised node collusion, and...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: INFOCOM
• Authors: Kai Xing, Xiuzhen Cheng
• Keywords: Capture Attack, Communications, INFOCOM 2010, Replicas, Replication Attacks