A game-theoretic analysis of energy-depleting jamming attacks

Abstract

Jamming may be a serious issue in Internet of Things networks with battery-powered nodes, as an attacker can not only disrupt packet delivery, but also reduce the lifetime of energy-constrained nodes. In this work, we consider a malicious attacker with the dual objective of preventing communication and depleting the battery of a targeted node. We model this scenario as a multistage game, derive optimal strategies for both sides, and evaluate their consequences on network performance. Our work highlights the trade-off between node lifetime and communication reliability and how the presence of a jammer affects both these aspects.