An Encryption Based Black Hole Detection Mechanism in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

A black hole attack is one of the most serious attacks in mobile ad hoc networks. A malicious node can act as if it has a valid route to a destination and then respond with a false Route Reply (RREP) message to the source, when it receives a Route Request (RREQ). Then the malicious node absorbs data packets destined for the destination. We propose an Encrypted Verification Method (EVM) that effectively detects a black hole attack. It takes two steps. First, every node examines its neighbors by inspecting their data transmission behaviors. Second, a detection node that receives an RREP from the suspicious node sends an encrypted verification message directly to the destination along the path included in the RREP for verification. The approach not only pins down the black hole nodes, but also reduces control overhead significantly. We prove by resorting to simulation that the EVM is highly dependable against the black hole attack.