TRUCE – An Adaptive Trust Management Algorithm Over MANET for Service-Based Mobile Computing Environments

Abstract

ABSTRACT Managing trust in a distributed MANET is challenging when collaboration or cooperation is critical to achieve mission and system goals such as reliability, availability, scalability, or reconfigurability. This paper discusses initiation and updation of trust values (called as TRUCE Value) over a defined trust model for mobile ad hoc networks. Each node {ni, where i ∈ 1, 2, 3, .., m} is assigned a trust level initially, while trust levels are updated dynamically based on behavior of nodes {n1, n2, .., nm} using threat detection tools and metrics, such as Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) (Zhang et al. (2002), between all nodes in the network. The node {nj} neighboring to a node {nk} exhibiting suspicious behavior can initiate trust reports, and based on an average set of trust reports, the node's {nj} trust value is modified. These defined trust reports are propagated through the network using one of TRUCE (proposed methods). A similar acceptable set of trust nodes can join together to evaluate the security of routes {r} from source to destination nodes. Using these trust levels as a guide, the source node can then select a route that meets the security requirements of the message to be transmitted. This paper focuses on design, development of Trust evaluation, assignment algorithm termed TRUCE over a dynamic, highly insecure MANET network. Also, it demonstrates the procedure of establishing a collaborative, dynamic trust model and uses this model as an example to enhance the security of message routing in mobile ad hoc networks. Performance by simulation reveals that existing malicious nodes behave with vulnerability over MANET routing protocols such as DSR and AODV, but TRUCE with proposed trust-based node incentive mechanism performs better than DSR in terms of packet successful delivery ratio and mean number of packets dropped.