Review on Security Issues and Applications of Trust Mechanism in Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

The scale of wireless sensor networks changes depending on specific application tasks. How to design a relatively simple security mechanism that can extend with the expansion of network scale is an arduous task. As the wireless sensor network mostly adopts the decentralized organization form, once the network nodes are distributed adequately, it is difficult to find out the failure of any node. In addition, the node has weak resistance to physical damage, so any node in the network may potentially become a cause of security vulnerability. In this study, firstly, the security standards that wireless sensor networks should have and the current security challenges faced by the network are discussed in detail, and the importance of security issues in wireless sensor networks is pointed out. Secondly, this paper studies and analyzes the current situation of wireless sensor network security problems including the internal and external attacks and the active and passive attacks. Thirdly, this paper also discusses the significance, concept, and characteristics of reputation and trust, the division and composition of reputation and trust system, and the common applications of the reputation and trust mechanism in wireless sensor networks.