On the security of cluster-based communication protocols for wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks are ad hoc networks comprised mainly of small sensor nodes with limited resources, and are rapidly emerging as a technology for large-scale, low-cost, automated sensing and monitoring of different environments of interest. Cluster-based communication has been proposed for these networks for various reasons such as scalability and energy efficiency. In this paper, we investigate the problem of adding security to cluster-based communication protocols for homogeneous wireless sensor networks consisting of sensor nodes with severely limited resources, and propose a security solution for LEACH, a protocol where clusters are formed dynamically and periodically. Our solution uses building blocks from SPINS, a suite of highly optimized security building blocks that rely solely on symmetric-key methods; is lightweight and preserves the core of the original LEACH.