Firewalling wireless sensor networks: Security by wireless

Abstract

Networked sensors and actuators for purposes from production monitoring and control to home automation are in increasing demand. Until recently, the main focus laid on wired systems, although their deployment requires careful planning and expensive infrastructure that may be difficult to install or modify. Hence, solutions based on wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are gaining popularity to reduce cost and simplify installation. Clearly, one of the key issues rising from the switch to wireless communication lies in security; while an air gap is among the most effective security measures in wired networks, wireless communication is not as easy to isolate from attack. In this paper, we propose a system leveraging the peculiarities of the wireless medium, such as the broadcast nature of wireless communication and the unpredictability of indoor signal propagation to achieve effective protection against attacks based on the injection of fake data. Using a real-world WSN deployment and a realistic implementation of an attacker, we analyze this protection scheme and demonstrate that neither position change, transmission power manipulation, nor complete knowledge of wireless parameters can help an attacker to successfully attack the network. As a result, this work demonstrates how the chaotic nature of radio communication, which is often considered a disadvantage in regard to security objectives, can be used to enhance protection and support implementation of lightweight security mechanisms.