TR-10-04: Positioning of Wireless Sensor Nodes in the Presence of Liars

Abstract

Positioning of nodes in a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is a process that allows location-unaware nodes to discover their spatial coordinates. This process requires the cooperation of all the nodes in the system. Ensuring the correctness of the process, especially in the presence of misbehaving nodes, is crucial for ensuring the integrity of the system. We analyze the problem of unaware nodes determining their location in the presence of misbehaving neighboring nodes that provide false data during the execution of the positioning process. We divide and present potential misbehaving nodes in four different adversary models, based on their capacities. We provide algorithms that enable the location-unaware nodes to determine their coordinates in presence of these adversaries. The algorithms always work for a given number of neighbors provided that the number of misbehaving nodes is below a certain threshold value, which is determined for each adversary model.

TR-10-04.pdf