Detecting Black Hole Attacks in Tactical MANETs using Topology Graphs

Abstract

Black hole attacks are a serious threat to communication in tactical MANETs. In this work we present TOGBAD a new centralised approach, using topology graphs to identify nodes attempting to create a black hole. We use well-established techniques to gain knowledge about the network topology and use this knowledge to perform plausibility checks of the routing information propagated by the nodes in the network. We consider a node generating fake routing information as malicious. Therefore, we trigger an alarm if the plausibility check fails. Furthermore, we present promising first simulation results. With our new approach, it is possible to already detect the attempt to create a black hole before the actual impact occurs.