Trust-based routing for ad-hoc wireless networks

An ad-hoc wireless network is formed by a number of mobile nodes having limited communication range. The Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) protocol is frequently used to extend the effective range of these nodes through mutual cooperation. The accurate execution of the DSR protocol demands sustained benevolent behaviour by all participating nodes. However, as ad-hoc networks are created in improvised environments, the realization of such altruistic behaviour is virtually impossible to achieve. In fixed networks, trust infrastructures like Certification Authorities and Key Distribution Centres are generally used to provide default trust relationships. However, the creation of such an entity in an ad-hoc network is considered neither feasible nor pragmatic. In this paper, we propose a novel mechanism for establishing trust based routing in ad-hoc networks without necessitating a trust infrastructure. We accentuate, that the proposed mechanism is most suitable for ad-hoc networks that can be created on the fly without making any suppositions or imposing pre-configuration requirements.