Integrity Enhancement in Wireless Sensor Networks

Consideration for security level in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) should depend on the demand of the intended applications. As energy consumption increase linearly with security level, the security designer should carefully choose the best security technique and the most suitable security parameters enough to protect the intended application. With the advancement and demand of WSNs applications in areas such as the military, structural health monitoring, transportation, agriculture, smart home and many more, the system stands to be exposed to too many potential threats. It is generally considered that applications such as smart home, transportation and agriculture need no security or be less secure compared to military and medical applications. However, sensor networks make large-scale attacks become trivial when private information on the entire system can instantly reach the hand of attackers. Due to the nature of WSNs that are left unattended and limited resources, there exist an urgent need for higher security features in sensor nodes and its overall systems. Without it, attackers with their own intentions and targets combined with their capabilities and sophisticated tools will always become a threat to future WSNs applications. However, latest technology in embedded security combined (low power, on-SOC memory, small size) with trusted computing specifications (ensuring trusted communication and user) is believed to enhance security features for future WSNs applications.