FAPMIC: Fake Packet and Selective Packet Drops Attacks Mitigation by Merkle Hash Tree in Intermittently Connected Networks

Abstract

Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networks (DTNs) are a special category of IntermittentlyConnectedNetworks (ICNs). It has features such as long-delay, frequent-disruption, asymmetrical-data-rates, and high-bundle-error-rates. DTNs have been mainly developed for planet-to-planet networks, commonly known as Inter-Planetary-Networks (IPNs). However, DTNs have shown undimmed potency in challenged communication networks, such as DakNet, ZebraNet, KioskNet and WiderNet. Due to unique characteristics (Intermittent-connectivity and long-delay) DTNs face tough/several challenges in various research areas i.e bundle-forwarding, key-distribution, privacy, bundle-fragmentation, and malicious/selfish nodes particularly. Malicious/selfish nodes launch various catastrophic attacks, this includes, fake packet attacks, selective packet drops attacks, and denial-of-service/flood attacks. These attacks inevitably consume limited resources (persistent-buffer and bandwidth) in DTNs. Fake-packet and selective-packet-drops attacks are top among the challenging attacks in ICNs. The focus of this article is on critical analyses of fake-packet and selective-packet-drops attacks. The panoramic view on misbehavior nodes mitigation algorithms are analyzed, and evaluated mathematically through several parameters for detection probability/accuracy. This article presents a novel algorithm to detects/mitigates fake-packet and selective-packet-drops attacks. The proposed algorithm uses Merkle-Hash-Tree to detects the aforementioned attacks. The proposed algorithm added root hash along with all packets, when the malicious nodes drop packets or inject fake packets, the algorithm detects malicious nodes. Moreover, trace-driven simulation results show the proposed algorithm of this article accurately (enhanced detection-accuracy, enhanced packet delivery/packet loss ratios, and reduces false-positive/false-negative rates) detects malicious nodes which launch fake-packet and selective-packet-drops attacks, unlike previously proposed algorithms which detect only one attack (fake-packet or packet-drops at a time) or detect only malicious path (do not exactly detect malicious nodes which launch attacks). Furthermore, this article mathematically analyzed various scenarios to track exactly/position of various vehicular nodes.