Review on security issues of AODV routing protocol for MANETs

Abstract

Ad hoc networks are a new wireless networking paradigm for mobile hosts. Unlike traditional mobile wireless networks, ad hoc networks do not rely on any fixed infrastructure, Instead, hosts rely on each other to keep the network connected. One main challenge in the design of these networks is their vulnerability to security attacks. In this Survey, we study the threats an ad hoc network faces and the security goals to be achieved. We identify the new challenges and opportunities posed by this new networking environment and explore new approaches to secure its communication. Routing protocols, which act as the binding force in these networks, are a common target of these nodes. Ad-hoc On Demand Distance Vector (AODV) is one of the widely used routing protocols that is currently undergoing extensive research and development. AODV is based on distance vector routing, but the updates are shared not on a periodic basis but on an as per requirement basis. The control packets contain a hop count and sequence number field that identifies the freshness of routing updates. As these fields are mutable, it creates a potential vulnerability that is frequently exploited by malicious nodes to advertise better routes. Similarly, transmission of routing updates in clear text also discloses vital information about the network topology, which is again a potential security hazard. This research addresses the problem of securing Mobile Ad Hoc Networks routing protocols. In this survey we examine different routing protocols and various types of routing security attacks. We also perform a survey in search for different routing security schemes that have been proposed to prevent and/or detect these attacks, and point out their advantages and drawbacks.