Game theoretic analysis of jamming attack in wireless mesh network with delay tolerance

Abstract

This paper proposes a framework for studying the impact of a smart attacker in a wireless mesh network that is used to provide delay-tolerant internet connectivity. Non-cooperative game theory is used to define the defending player strategy in terms of network tree routing as well as the attacking player strategy in terms of the varying position of communication signal jammer. To evaluate the game value, the payoff is captured by the expected number of backlogged packets, based on the assumption of network of M/M/1 queues. This game is solved by the well-known method of successive average. And a preliminary experimental result has been reported on a small 2×2 grid network. The finding sheds insights on three scenarios reflecting different intelligence levels inherited by the attacker and the defender in comparison with the equivalent settings without the attacker. Finally, future work worth investigating has been given.