TmRPL++: Trust based smarter-HOP for optimized mobility in RPL

Abstract

Ensuring security in routing protocols designed for Internet of Things (IoT) is more challenging owing to the fact that devices are resource constrained. The need for lightweight security mechanisms is apparent because cryptography based mechanisms have intense computation requirements. Although Routing Protocol for Low power and lossy networks (RPL) inherently comprises a few security mechanisms, it has been shown that those mechanisms are fragile, and additional measures are required to strengthen its security. In this paper, we propose a lightweight trust based security algorithm for RPL, called TmRPL++, to prevent the consequences of routing attacks. TmRPL++ has been implemented and integrated in the Contiki 6LoWPAN/RPL stack, and its functionality has been verified through extensive simulations.