International Journal of Distributed and Parallel Systems (IJDPS) Vol.3, No.6, November 2012 DOI : 10.5121/ijdps.2012.3606 65 WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK IN NIGER DELTA OIL AND GAS FIELD MONITORING: THE SECURITY CHALLENGES AND COUNTERMEASURES Fidelis C. Obodoeze 1 , Hyacinth C. Inyiama (PhD) 2 and V.E. Idigo (PhD) 3 1 Doctoral Research student, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, P.M.B 5025, Awka, Nigeria All correspondence to fidelisobodoeze@gmail.com 2 Professor, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, P.M.B 5025, Awka, Nigeria drhcinyiama@gmail.com 3 Associate Professor and Head, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, P.M.B 5025, Awka, Nigeria vicugoo@yahoo.com ABSTRACT The IEEE 802.15.4 specification has enabled low-power, low-cost and smart wireless sensor networks (WSNs) capable of robust and reliable multi-hop communications. By January 2005, an International Oil and Gas Company (IOC), Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), became the first multinational Oil and Gas Company operating in the Nigeria Niger Delta region to switch from wired to wireless sensor technology eliminating the need for cables thereby allowing data collection in remote, swampy areas and enabling new applications. However, there are concerns related to the use of these smart wireless sensor networks such as reliability, standardization, energy consumption and general operational, data and physical security issues especially in the monitoring of mission-critical oil and gas installations and infrastructure such as pipelines, oil wells, oil rigs and flow stations in a region characterized by rampant vandalisation and sabotage of oil pipelines and other oil installations by militants and oil thieves. High cases of vandalisation of oil and gas pipelines and other oil installations were identified even when there is evidence of wireless sensor deployment. This paper introduced practical deployment architectures and mechanisms that can secure oil facilities and the wireless sensors from being physically attacked so that they can successfully monitor and report incidences of pipeline and equipment vandalisation easily and on time while at the same time maintain data security of the WSN. KEYWORDS Wireless Sensor Network WSN, Niger Delta Region, Nigeria, oil pipelines, CCTV, cyber physical systems, security triad, multi-hop communication. 1. INTRODUCTION Wireless sensor networks are IEEE 802.15.4 enabled devices capable of robust and reliable multi-hop communications [1],[2]. Wireless sensors can be deployed in unattended environments and can enable collection of data from there to distant base stations and then to control room [3],[4]. Wireless sensors have found useful applications in varying number of civilian and military applications because of their low-cost and ease of deployment [2],[5],[6]. Because of these inherent and other advantages, wireless sensor networks have found useful applications in