Enhancement of frequency-based wormhole attack detection

Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) have been seen as a key tactical communication technology. However, one of the most severe attacks in MANETs, the wormhole attack remains a sizable challenge. Most existing wormhole detection techniques rely on specialized hardware such as directional antennas, GPS, or high precision clocks, which can limit their efficacy. In order to provide an efficient and accurate detection mechanism for wormhole attacks, we present a new method based on signal processing techniques, in which purposely shaped traffic is transmitted, analysed at the destination node by constructing the reception time data into a “signal”, and then transforming this signal to the frequency domain using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Using this technique, the wormhole attack can be quickly and accurately identified. We demonstrate in simulation and in a testbed that the proposed methodology can be used to detect an attack within seconds. In addition, the detection mechanism proposed is agnostic of routing protocol and does not require any specialized hardware support.