WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK: KEY SECURITY ISSUE AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are interconnected sensor nodes that communicate wirelessly to collect data about the surrounding environment. A typical sensor node is made up of different components to perform the task of sensing, processing and transmitting data. WSNs are used for many applications in diverse forms from indoor deployment to outdoor deployment. The basic requirement of every application is to use the secured network. Providing security to the sensor network is a very challenging issue along with saving its energy. Many security threats may affect the functioning of these networks. Because of their low cost and adaptability, wireless sensor networks are widely used in civil, military, and commercial fields and other fields. However, since the sensor node in the calculation of the capacity, battery capacity, and storage capacity are restricted by the limitations and inherent characteristics of the sensor networks, compared to traditional networks, which makes wireless sensor networks face more security threats. This paper summarized the various security issues and security threats in WSNs and solutions. It identifies various possible attacks at different layers of the communication protocol stack in a typical WSN and presents their possible countermeasures. A brief discussion on the future direction of research in WSN security is also included.