Quantal Response Equilibrium-Based Strategies for Intrusion Detection in WSNs

Abstract

This paper is to solve the problem stating that applying Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to guarantee security of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is computationally costly for sensor nodes due to their limited resources. For this aim, we obtain optimal strategies to save IDS agents’ power, through Quantal Response Equilibrium (QRE) that is more realistic than Nash Equilibrium. A stage Intrusion Detection Game (IDG) is formulated to describe interactions between the Attacker and IDS agents. The preference structures of different strategy profiles are analyzed. Upon these structures, the payoff matrix is obtained. As the Attacker and IDS agents interact continually, the stage IDG is extended to a repeated IDG and its payoffs are correspondingly defined. The optimal strategies based on QRE are then obtained. These optimal strategies considering bounded rationality make IDS agents not always be inDefend. Sensor nodes’ power consumed in performing intrusion analyses can thus be saved. Experiment results show that the probabilities of the actions adopted by the Attacker can be predicted and thus the IDS can respond correspondingly to protect WSNs.