Abstract:
Mobile Ad hoc Network (MANET) is a type of Ad
hoc network. General properties of MANET open the network to
various security threats. Network layer-based Active attacks are
widespread and destructive. Available security solutions contain
complex calculations. Therefore, the objective of this research
is to propose a lightweight security mechanism to enhance the
security of data communications between source and destination
nodes in a MANET from network layer-based active attack.
Blackhole is used as a network layer-based Active attack. The
network performance is evaluated using Packet Delivery Ratio
(PDR), Average End-to-End Delay (AEED), Throughput, and
Simulation Processing Time at Intermediate Nodes (SPTIN). The
controller network was used to compare the performance of
each network. During the experiment due to the impact of the
blackhole attack, compared to the controller network, the PDR
was found to be 0.28%, AEED was infinity and Throughput was
0.33%. The performance of the proposed security mechanism
was compared with that of the controller network, and the
values of PDR, AEED, Throughput, and SPTIN were found to
be 98.0825%, 100.9346%, 99.9988%, and 96.5660%, respectively.
The data packet delivery ratio was 100.00% compared to that
of the controller network. The network that was affected by a
blackhole attack showed a higher amount of ADDR than the
controller network and the lowest amount of PDR. The network
that was affected by the blackhole showed underperformance
compared to the controller network. The proposed security
mechanism performs well in PDR, AEED, and Throughput
compared to the controller network. The AEED and SPTIN
values prove that the proposed solution is free from complex
calculations. The scope of the solution can be expanded into a
lightweight Intruder Detection System to handle different types
of security attacks in MANETs.
