Countermeasures against energy-efficient jamming on wireless sensor networks

Due to their limited software and hardware capabilities, wireless sensor nodes are vulnerable against radio jamming. This becomes even worse if energy-efficient jamming is achieved by exploiting knowledge of the data link layer. Encrypting the packets may help to prevent or restrict the jamming. However, due to the nature of the MAC (Media Access Control) protocols, the jammer may take advantage and prevent network communication for relatively long periods even when dealing with encrypted packets. This paper aims to investigate and provide new insights into the security considerations of MAC protocols for wireless sensor networks. The paper also discusses countermeasures for energy-efficient encryption resistant jamming attacks against wireless sensor network MAC protocols.