Energy Aware Self-Organized Communication in Complex Networks

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Dirk Timmermann
• Subject Area: Security and Dependability, Operating-, Communication- and Distributed Systems
• Term: from 2005 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5454777

Large networks of wireless sensor nodes are a well-known vision of current research. The idea of this project is to incorporate self-x properties in those networks. Thereby, the nodes shall be enabled to find the best routing path through the network autonomously (self-organizing), they also shall be able to detect failures in adjacent nodes and react in a self-sustained and intelligent way (self-healing). Of course, these self-x abilities have to be achieved with only little additional amounts of energy and small message overhead. During runtime, a self-organizing sensor network is vulnerable to attacks. Spoofing, disorganization, and espionage are only some of the possible attacks against data collecting networks. In an unprepared network, attackers have easy game to achieve their malicious goals. Hence, we target the examination of attacks against sensor networks. We will classify different attack strategies and their impact to a self-organized network structure. Consequently, we extend our research activities to possible self-protecting reactions. We target to examine attack detection strategies and possible handling of infected nodes.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1183: Organic Computing