Research Article
DYSSS: A Dynamic and Context-Aware Security System for
Shared Sensor Networks
Claudio M. de Farias,
1
Luci Pirmez,
1
Luiz F. R. C. Carmo,
1,2
Davidson Boccardo,
2
Flávia C. Delicato,
1
Igor L. dos Santos,
1
Renato Pinheiro,
1
and Rafael O. Costa
1
1
Programa de P´ os-Graduac ¸˜ ao em Inform´ atica, Instituto T´ ercio Pacitti de Aplicac ¸˜ oes e Pesquisas Computacionais,
Instituto de Matem´ atica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-901 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
2
Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia, 25250-020 Duque de Caxias, RJ, Brazil
Correspondence should be addressed to Claudio M. de Farias; cmicelifarias@gmail.com
Received 11 June 2015; Accepted 17 September 2015
Academic Editor: Rafaele Gravina
Copyright © 2015 Claudio M. de Farias et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.
In recent years, we have witnessed the emergence of Shared Sensor Networks (SSNs) as a core component of cyber-physical systems
for diverse applications. As Wireless Sensor and Actuator Networks (WSANs) design starts shifing from application-specifc
platforms to shared system infrastructures, a pressing research challenge is security. In scenarios involving unprotected hostile
outdoor areas, SSNs are prone to diferent types of attacks that can compromise reliability, integrity, and availability of the sensor
data trafc and sensor lifetime as well. In this work we propose a Dynamic Security System to be applied in the shared sensor network
context. Its basic feature is the nodes neighborhood monitoring and collaboration (through the use of the Byzantine algorithm) to
identify an attack and enhance security. Te proposed security system is dynamic since it is able to manage the availability, integrity,
and confdentiality of multiple applications according to the current execution context. It is also resilient, since it is able to support
the continuous network operation even in the presence of malicious or faulty nodes. Its resilience is achieved for the capacity of
gathering information from several nodes, thus inferring the countermeasures using context information.
1. Introduction
Recent advances in microelectromechanical systems and
wireless communication technologies have enabled the build-
ing of low-cost and small-sized sensors nodes, which are
capable of sensing, processing, and communicating through
wireless links. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are com-
posed of tens, hundreds, or even thousands of sensor nodes
[1, 2]. Nodes in WSNs commonly rely on nonrechargeable
batteries as their energy sources, and the replacement of
depleted batteries is not always feasible or desirable. Tere-
fore, a major challenge in the design of WSNs is how to save
energy in order to extend the network operational lifetime.
Wireless Sensor Networks are commonly used to monitor a
wide range of environmental variables, such as temperature,
humidity, acceleration, and light among others [3]. Tese
networks can thus be regarded as the interface between
the physical world and the world of electrical/electronic
devices, as computers and domestic appliances [4]. WSNs
communicate the information collected by their sensing
devices through their wireless links, thus enabling interaction
between people or computers and the surrounding envi-
ronment [5]. Te data gathered by the diferent nodes is
transmitted to one or more sink nodes. Sink nodes are devices
endowed with high processing power and with no energy
constraints. Such nodes act as the entry points for application
requests and also as the gathering points of sensor-collected
data [1]. Te WSN technology can also encompass the use
of wireless actuators, originating the concept of Wireless
Sensor and Actuator Networks (WSANs) [5]. Besides the
inherent sensing capabilities of the WSNs, the additional
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks
Volume 2015, Article ID 756863, 9 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/756863