Issues in wireless sensor networks with an emphasis on security

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are spatially dispersed systems with self-configuring sensor nodes connected via a wireless medium. The applications of WSNs are growing exponentially regardless of their known shortcomings. The very first applications of WSNs were military and surveillance based and even now military applications form a major portion of WSN applications. Due to the aforementioned reason and the sensitive nature of the data collected by WSNs, security has become a prime concern. This paper is focused on various issues present in WSNs with a minor emphasis on security.