Secure clustering and routing for heterogeneous mobile wireless sensor networks with dynamic key management

Abstract

In mobile wireless sensor networks, the process of offering security to the network after computing dynamic key may result in misuse of information by malicious node. All the messages exchanged during the inter-cluster routing also need to be protected by providing integrity and confidentiality. The proposed architecture includes heterogeneous backbone nodes (BNs) deployed in the network using particle swarm optimisation technique. They perform secure clustering process using exclusion basis system. The cluster head is chosen based on weight value that is estimated using parameters such as the node degree (ND), distance to BN, node velocity and virtual battery power. Once the clusters are formed, the cluster members estimate the cost value based on location, ND and virtual battery power. This cost value is used by the member nodes to calculate the dynamic key for its data communication. Since the parameters used for clustering are further used during dynamic key generation, security has to be provided to the clustering phase. When the node moves from one cluster to another, secure cluster maintenance is performed and when the data need to be transmitted from source to sink, secure route discovery is executed within the clusters. By simulation results, we show that the proposed technique is more secured and minimises the communication and storage overhead.