Security Challenges and Solutions for Wireless Body Area Networks

Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) are special purpose Wireless Sensor Networks, which is used to provide competent communication solutions for health care and medicinal applications. The rapid technological advancements in the field of sensors, MEMS, and the wireless communication enable the design and implementation of Wireless Body Area Networks. The most prominent application of WBANs is in healthcare but it also finds its applications in consumer electronics, sports safety, lifestyle, defense, and much more. WBANs are usually smaller networks when compared to WSNs but still, they are vulnerable to a massive number of security attacks. In this paper, we provide an overview of the Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs), its applications, and security aspects. Various security threats and their countermeasures in WBANs are discussed based on the latest reviews and publications.