WSNPROTECT: ENERGY-AWARE AND MEMORY-CONSCIOUS CLONE DETECTION

Abstract

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are increasingly deployed in applications such as environmental monitoring, industrial automation, and smart cities. However, the resource-constrained nature of sensor nodes makes WSNs vulnerable to clone attacks, where an adversary replicates legitimate nodes to compromise network integrity. This study proposes WSNProtect, an energy- and memory-efficient clone detection framework designed to safeguard WSNs without overburdening node resources. By leveraging lightweight cryptographic techniques, distributed verification, and optimized data structures, the framework minimizes energy consumption and memory usage while maintaining high detection accuracy. Simulation results demonstrate that WSNProtect effectively identifies cloned nodes, reduces network overhead, and enhances security resilience compared to conventional methods. The research highlights the potential of resource-aware security mechanisms to improve both the operational lifespan and reliability of WSN deployments.