DISSEMINATION SECURITY OF UPDATING CODE IN WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS

Abstract

Code dissemination is the process of propagating a new program image or relevant commands to sensor nodes via the wireless medium. It has become necessary in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) because program image updates may be required for bug fixes or to provide new functionalities after a WSN has been deployed. Code dissemination protocols provide a convenient way to update program images via wireless communication. Due to the open environment in which Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are typically deployed, it is important that a code dissemination protocol ensures that a program image update can be authenticated as coming from a trusted source. In some applications it is also required that the data be kept confidential in spite of the possibility of message interception. Authentication and confidentiality are implemented through cryptographic operations which may be expensive in power consumption, making a protocol with these features vulnerable to attack by an adversary who transmits forged data, forcing nodes to waste energy in identifying it as invalid (i.e., a signature-based DOS attack).