Secured Clustering Algorithm for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Future Mobile ad hoc networks may increase in size to reach the threshold of thousands of nodes per system (commercial or military). A way to handle this increasing number of nodes is to manage them in a hierarchically structure also called clustering. In this paper, we propose a secured weight-based clustering algorithm allowing more effectiveness, protection and trust in the management of cluster size variation. This algorithm is called Secured Clustering Algorithm (SCA), since it includes security requirements by using a trust value defining how much any node is trusted by its neighbourhood, and using the certificate as node's identifier to avoid any possible attacks ( Spoofing). SCA elects cluster-head according to its weight computed by combining a set of system parameters (Stability, Battery, Degree. etc). It also overcomes some limits in existed algorithms by defining new mechanisms as cluster division, merging diminution and extension. We also propose to use efficient flooding to send beacons within the cluster to avoid overhead due to flooding. SCA forms a hierarchical structure which can be used for both security and routing protocols.