Intrusion Detection and Failure Recovery in Sensor Nodes

Intrusion detection systems (IDS) are important security tools in computer networks. There exist many approaches to this problem in traditional computer networks and wireless adhoc networks [ZL00], but literature on this topic with regard to sensor networks is scarce. The goal of failure recovery is to extend the lifetime of a sensor network by restarting or reprogramming failed or misbehaving nodes. In combination, these two measures raise the cost for a potential attacker. Even if an attacker manages to capture a node and abuses it for his own purposes, there is a chance that the aberrant behaviour of this node will be detected and the node be recovered, thus nullifying the attack.