Simulation modeling of secure wireless sensor networks

Abstract

This paper describes an extensible simulation environment for the modeling of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In particular, our simulator facilitates the study of secure con- nectivity between sensor nodes. The simulator has five main components: network topology model, key establishment protocol, adversary model for node capture, network anal- ysis tools, and a graphical user interface (GUI) to facili- Tate rapid simulation, visualization, and analysis of WSNs. We present the design and implementation of our simula- Tion tool, including the methodologies and algorithms un- derlying each component, and the data flow dependencies between them. Additionally, we describe the data collec- Tion and analysis functions integrated within the simulator, and how these can be used for in-depth simulation studies. We have used the simulator to verify asymptotic analytical results for secure WSNs, as well as to investigate their struc- Tural characteristics. We present selected results to demon- strate the use and value of our simulation tool. Copyright © 2009 ICST.