A Random Packet Destruction DoS Attack for Wireless Networks

Denial of service (DoS) attacks, and jamming in particular, present a significant threat to wireless networks because they are easy to mount and difficult to detect and prevent. We present and analyze a special type of DoS attack, called random packet destruction (RPD) that works by transmitting short periods of noise signals. The RPD DoS attack can effectively shut down a wireless network. Since the attacker does not need to pretend to be a legal user participating in the network, current anti-attack measures such as encryption, authentication and authorization cannot prevent these types of attacks. RPD DoS attacks are pervasive in nature and can potentially be launched against any wireless networks that are detectable. An attacker can launch RPD attacks against wireless networks used for mission critical systems to inflict serious damages on lives or properties. The paper presents for the first time, both theoretical analysis and performance simulations of WLANs when operating under RPD DoS attacks for a range of types of network traffic.