Vulnerability Analysis of Relay Set Selection Algorithms for the Simplified Multicast Forwarding (SMF) Protocol for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

After more than a decade of research and standardization, Mobile Ad Hoc NETworks (MANET) are finding their place in real-world deployments, such as in community, tactical and vehicular networks. Becoming so present in ``textit{the real world}" also means that MANETs, and the protocols operating them, are affronted with a more hostile environment, where misconfiguration, eavesdropping, and attacks must be addressed. A first step in addressing MANET security is understanding the vulnerabilities of MANET protocols, and how an attacker can exploit these. This papert studies the Relay Set Selection (RSS) algorithms that are commonly used in multicast routing protocol for MANETs, and which are undergoing standardization as part of the Simplified Multicast Forwarding (SMF) protocol, developed within the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Attack vectors for these different RSS algorithms are described, with the purpose of enabling future development of security solutions.