On the IEEE 802.15.4 MAC layer attacks: GTS attack

Abstract

In the last several years IEEE 802.15.4 [1] has been accepted as a major MAC layer protocol for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and has attracted the interest of the research community involved in security issues as the increased range of application scenarios bring out new possibilities for misuse and taking improper advantage of sensor nodes and their operation. As these nodes are very resource restrained such possible attacks and their early detection must be carefully considered. This paper surveys the known attacks on wireless sensor networks, identifies and investigates a new attack, Guaranteed Time Slot (GTS) attack, taking as a basis the IEEE 802.15.4 MAC protocol for WSN. The GTS Attack is simulated with different scenarios using ns-2 and the results are evaluated both from the point of view of the attacked and the attacker.