Ensuring authentication and security using zero knowledge protocol for wireless sensor network applications

Abstract

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs.) have turned into a prominent solution for various applications where human intervention is not possible. For the effective functioning of WSNs., the nodes must be capable enough to identify and detect malicious nodes from genuine ones. Moreover, these sensors are deployed in the network where sensitive information is transmitted between the nodes and base station. Hence, security and data authentication are the major requirements for the Wireless Sensor Networks. This paper investigates the use of an identity mechanism called Zero Knowledge Protocol (ZKP), for the authentication of sensor nodes. Our simulation results indicate that our proposed scheme ensures high security to the network with minimal overhead, minimal energy consumption, and good throughput.