Nodes cooperation trust method over ad hoc network

Abstract

An ad hoc network consists of wireless nodes that communicate through cooperation with each other, and operate independently of additional network devices such as routers and switches. These networks are self-sufficient and distributed in nature which are most widely used in the areas where there is little or no infrastructure available, like battlefields, weather forecast applications, etc. Recently ad hoc networks have been deployed in many places and have become a part of everyone’s life. Devices such as laptops, smartphones, and netbooks are using it as one option for wireless networks. This emerging trend poses a serious security issue. As there is no centralized authority, establishing trust between devices in an ad hoc network is very important. Trust management among the nodes in an ad hoc network, or between the nodes of different networks, is a must and needs to be managed without compromising node functionality. In this thesis, a new trust method is proposed which manages directly and indirectly connected nodes, and is also able to resolve issues concerning the unfair trust value grading between neighbors and the destination node.