The future mobile networks are transforming into multidimensional, adaptive networks, aka beyond 5G (B5G), where the digital services are delivered over network slices whose network definition is virtual. It is also important that such slices are available to users with a wide variety of needs on a safe and efficient basis. The current solutions are mainly aimed at ensuring that things are faster and reliable; however, in the majority of situations, they fail to give much consideration to the security threat from malicious users. This reflection paper examines the limitations of existing approaches and argues for embedding security mechanisms directly within resource allocation frameworks. It explores the integration of zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) for user verification and integer linear programming (ILP) for secure allocation, forming a unified adversary-aware model. This perspective encourages a shift from purely performance-driven strategies toward security-by-design methods capable of addressing dynamic threats in real time.
Mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a self-organized system comprised of mobile wireless nodes, and MANET allows one to instantly build a network between terminals and the entire of area by multi-hop connection. MANET is expected to provide a means of communication in crowded event venues and post-disaster environments. It also supports applications that require network communication because it does not require a contract with a telecommunications carrier. However, the MANET relay node is in the state of a volunteer providing a communication environment to maintain the network, and there is no reward for continuing to forward other people’s data without sending. In some cases, a function to monitor transfer results can be provided. In this case, since MANET is distributed environments, a centralized monitoring function is not always reliable. In this article, we propose a protocol that can manage the transfer record even in a network composed of unreliable nodes by using a blockchain that can realize a distributed ledger even between unreliable nodes. Since the protocol uses smart contracts such as Ethereum, a data structure in which messages are concatenated with hashes is adopted to reduce the gas equivalent to the execution fee.
We hypothesize that peer-to-peer (P2P) overlay network nodes can be attractive to attackers due to their visibility, sustained uptime, and resource potential. Towards validating this hypothesis, we investigate the state of active reconnaissance attacks on Ethereum P2P network nodes by deploying a series of honeypots alongside actual Ethereum nodes across globally distributed vantage points. We find that Ethereum nodes experience not only increased attacks, but also specific types of attacks targeting particular ports and services. Furthermore, we find evidence that the threat assessment on our nodes is applicable to the wider P2P network by having performed port scans on other reachable peers. Our findings provide insights into potential mitigation strategies to improve the security of the P2P networking layer.
Blockchain transactions can be made more scalable using Payment Channel Networks (PCNs), which do not require significant modifications to the distributed ledger algorithm. On the other hand, an onion protocol for anonymity and a locking mechanism to prevent race conditions are needed when routing a payment via several channels in a PCN. This method can be abused by adversaries to launch wormhole attacks. Prior research concentrated on source routing, which is unlikely to continue to be an effective routing strategy as these networks expand. We investigate the impact of attacks in PCNs that employ local knowledge-based routing algorithms. In these scenarios, malicious nodes can steal the benefits of interacting nodes by exchanging confidential information among themselves. We have analyzed the impact of wormhole attacks in the Swift algorithm, Speedy Murmurs, and Silent Whispers. Our experiments introduced an attack that uses a depth measure to arrange malicious nodes in various locations. We used attack gain, attack cost, and attack transaction ratio metrics to assess the attack's impact on routing algorithms. Our simulation-driven analysis demonstrates that placing a malicious node subsequent to a landmark node will raise the likelihood of an attack but at a higher cost. With high transaction volume, attack gain in Silent Whisper will decrease compared to Speedy Murmurs and Swift due to congestion. With 9.6% malicious nodes located at different locations, the average attack transaction ratio for all distributive routing algorithms is 41 %.
S. Gopalakrishnan, E. D. Kanmani Ruby, D. Hemanand, R. Anitha · 6 authors
The incorporation or combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology into Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) shows important factor for modern and advance smart city infrastructure and autonomous vehicular networks. This paper describes the complementary potential of the technologies to help the built-in difficulties of MANETs includes flexibility, protection, and data integrity. AI techniques such as machine learning and reinforcement learning, are emphasized to improve routing protocols to optimize data transmission rates, and decrease latency. Blockchain technology using Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) and other consensus mechanisms, gives a tight and decentralized architecture for data handling assuring trust and integrity amidst network nodes. The appeal of these incorpoarted technologies is especially related for smart cities which depand on collection of data and evaluation for effective handling of urban operations such as flow of traffic, environmental observing, and consumption of energy. Autonomous vehicular networks needing rigd and strong communication and data transfer between vehicles and infrastructure, also help from the enhanced network functions and security provided by AI and blockchain incorpoaration. Experimental evaluation denotes improvements in crucial performance metrics. Sensor 2 persists the highest data transmission rate of 12 Mbps. Sensor 4 had the decreased at 9 Mbps. Latency measurements observed that Sensor 2 recorded the lowest latency at 45 ms, with Sensor 3 having the highest at 55 ms.
Ardra Vinod, Malavika Vinodkumar, S Pranav, P Remyakrishnan
Vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET) is a particular subclass of the mobile ad-hoc network that raises several security challenges, notably how users authenticate the network. The work explores using zero-knowledge proofs for secure authentication while preserving user privacy and aims at encrypted information exchange between onboard units. Zero-knowledge proofs enhance security by protecting against impersonation attacks. We strive to reduce the dependence on roadside units for computational tasks by integrating the central authentication server and sub-authentication servers. We reduce modular exponentiation operations during authentication, enhancing efficiency without compromising security. We use the protocol verifier tool called Proverif to verify the security of our protocol. Simulation using the NS-2 simulator validates the protocol by varying the vehicle density. This paper advances VANET security by combining zero-knowledge authentication with encrypted information exchange, strengthening security, efficiency, and data confidentiality while reducing reliance on RSUs. Our protocol ensures secure communication in VANET with minimum computational and communication overhead.
S. J. Patil, Lalita Admuthe, Ashwini Sandeep Patil, Saurabh R Prasad
Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) facilitate rapid deployment due to independence from established infrastructure, relying instead on wireless technology where each node functions as a source, destination, or intermediary router. However, existing techniques fail to adequately address security and privacy concerns inherent in MANETs, rendering them impractical for real-world deployment. To tackle these challenges, this paper proposes the Blockchain Based Trusted Distributed Routing Scheme for MANET using Latent Encoder Coupled Generative Adversarial Network Optimized with Binary Emperor Penguin Optimizer (LEGAN-BEPO-BCMANET). This scheme leverages blockchain technology to establish a fair proof-of-reputation system, ensuring trusted and decentralized routing based on authenticated blockchain token transactions. By integrating Latent Encoder Coupled Generative Adversarial Network (LEGAN) optimized with Binary Emperor Penguin optimizer (BEPO), the scheme enhances routing efficiency and security. A comprehensive security analysis is performed focusing on aspects such as double-spending prevention, transaction distinguishability, routing information integrity, and self-modification resilience. The proposed approach is implemented in NS3 software, with evaluation metrics including throughput of blockchain token transactions and average energy consumption recorded. Overall, the LEGAN-BEPO-BCMANET scheme offers a robust solution to the security and efficiency challenges faced by MANETs, paving the way for practical deployment in real-world scenarios. The performance of the proposed LEGAN-BEPO-BCMANET technique attains 29.786%, 19.25%, 22.93%, 27.21%, 31.02%, 26.91%, and 25.61% greater throughput, compared to existing methods like Blockchain-based BATMAN protocol utilizing MANET with an ensemble algorithm (BATMAN-MANET), Block chain-based trusted distributed routing scheme with optimized dropout ensemble extreme learning neural network in MANET (DEELNN-MANET), A secured trusted routing utilizing structure of a new directed acyclic graph-blockchain in MANET internet of things environment (DAG-MANET), An Optimized Link State Routing Protocol with Blockchain Framework for Efficient Video-Packet Transmission and Security over MANET (OLSRP-MANET), Auto-metric Graph Neural Network based Blockchain Technology for Protected Dynamic Optimum Routing in MANET (AGNN-MANET) and Data security-based routing in MANETs under key management process (DSR-MANET) respectively.
Sung-Min Choi, Zhuochen Xie, Tat Woo Tan, Yifan Liu · 6 authors
In the context of the telecom network trending towards centralization, the relatively decentralized and citizen-centric, non-profit network architecture known as Wireless Community Network (WCN) has emerged. However, WCN faces challenges related to unintentional shifts towards centralization, the lack of automation and verifiability to handle increasing volumes of information, and the absence of real-time and more flexible incentive mechanisms to incentivize a diverse range of contributors based on the quality of their contributions. As the network expands, maintenance becomes more challenging for small volunteer teams, potentially compromising network performance, reliability, and overall trustworthiness. With the development of the decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN), this paper proposes a methodology for designing a decentralized wireless community network (DeWCN) system. This methodology includes the design of a consensus layer, a trust and reputation management layer, and presents incentive-driven oracle design methodologies for verifiable common resource pools. This is the first work in the DePIN domain discussing the design of DeWCNs. Unlike projects like Helium [1], we eliminate the need for specialized devices and mining-based token systems.
A mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) necessitates appropriate routing techniques to enable optimal data transfer. The selection of appropriate routing protocols while utilizing the default settings is required to solve the existing problems. To enable effective video streaming in MANETs, this study proposes a novel optimized link state routing (OLSR) protocol that incorporates a deep-learning model. Initially, the input videos are collected from the Kaggle dataset. Then, the black-hole node is detected using a novel twin-attention-based dense convolutional bidirectional gated network (SA_ DCBiGNet) model. Next, the neighboring nodes are analyzed using trust values, and routing is performed using the extended osprey-aided optimized link state routing protocol (EO_OLSRP) technique. Similarly, the extended osprey optimization algorithm (EOOA) selects the optimal feature based on parameters such as node stability and link stability. Finally, blockchain storage is included to improve the security of MANET data using interplanetary file system (IPFS) technology. Additionally, the proposed blockchain system is validated utilizing a consensus technique based on delegated proof-of-stake (DPoS). The proposed method utilizes Python and it is evaluated using data acquired from various mobile simulator models accompanied by the NS3 simulator. The proposed model performs better with a packet-delivery ratio (PDR) of 91.6%, average end delay (AED) of 23.6 s, and throughput of 2110 bytes when compared with the existing methods which have a PDR of 89.1%, AED of 22 s, and throughput of 1780 bytes, respectively.
Nodes in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) are limited battery powered. That’s why energy efficient routing has become an important optimization criterion in MANETs. The conventional routing protocols do not consider energy of the nodes while selecting routes which leads to early exhaustion of nodes and partitioning of the network. This paper attempts to provide an energy aware routing algorithm. The proposed algorithm finds the transmission energy between the nodes relative to the distance and the performance of the algorithm is analyzed between two metrics Total Transmission energy of a route and Maximum Number of Hops. The proposed algorithm shows efficient energy utilization and increased network lifetime with total transmission energy metric.
Xiaoqin Feng, Fuliang Lin, Tao Feng, Jianfeng Ma · 6 authors
Secure and efficient identity authentication is a fundamental requirement in vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs); however, it remains challenging due to the highly dynamic network topology, stringent latency constraints, and the need for conditional privacy preservation. Existing authentication schemes either rely on public key infrastructures (PKI) with complex certificate management or introduce partially decentralized designs that still depend on trusted authorities, leading to inefficiencies and single points of failure. In this paper, we propose EBDA, an Ethereum-based fully distributed authentication mechanism for VANETs. The core innovation of EBDA is to replace the traditional PKI certificate system with a blockchain-maintained Graph of Trust (GoT). Through three dedicated smart contracts, EBDA fully decentralizes the management of vehicle identities and pseudonyms. Vehicles use pseudonyms to preserve privacy in Vehicle-to-Vehicle communications, while authentication is achieved certificate-free via transitive trust within the GoT. Importantly, latency-sensitive operations like message verification are executed off-chain through local checks, meeting VANETs’ strict real-time requirements. A prototype implementation and extensive evaluations demonstrate that EBDA significantly reduces authentication latency by at least 22.93% compared with representative blockchain-assisted and PKI-based baselines while maintaining low computational and storage overhead. These results confirm the feasibility of deploying GoT-based decentralized authentication in practical VANET environments.
Protecting the privacy of blockchain transactions is extremely important for users. Stealth address protocols (SAP) allow users to receive assets via stealth addresses that they do not associate with their stealth meta-addresses. SAP can be generated using different cryptographic approaches. DKSAP uses an elliptic curve multiplication and hashing of the resulting shared secret. Another approach is to use a elliptic curve pairing. This paper presents four SA protocols that use elliptic curve pairing as a cryptographic solution. ECPDKSAPs are pairing-based protocols that include viewing key and spending key, while ECPSKSAP is a pairing-based protocol that uses a single key with which spending and the viewing key are derived. We find that ECPDKSAPs give significantly better results than DKSAP with the view tag. The best results are achieved with Protocol 3 (Elliptic Curve Pairing Dual Key Stealth Address Protocol), which is Ethereum-friendly. ECPSKSAP is significantly slower, but it provides an interesting theoretical result as it uses only one private key.
Opportunistic networks (OppNets) are usually a set of smart, wearable, and portable devices or entities with mobility that connect wirelessly without requiring infrastructure. Such a network is of great importance in data transmission, particularly in incidents and disasters, whether man-made or natural. However, message integrity and confidentiality are of concern when it deals with vital and physiological data transmission with strict privacy regulations. In this work, we offered a structure to classify messages based on their priority in different queues. Furthermore, due to the decentralized architecture of OppNets, we proposed a blockchain-based structure for providing security for high-priority messages. It contains three sequences of functional blocks with a light and simplified implementation that makes it suitable for battery-powered wearable devices that are limited in energy consumption and computational units. The simulation results showed that by increasing the number of nodes in the network, the average of the changes in block sizes are neglectable which addresses the computation bottleneck. Furthermore, we analyzed the performance of the proposed structure in terms of message delivery and network overhead compared with Epidemic and Prophet routing algorithms. These results indicated advancing the overall performance of the proposed algorithm.
Blockchain establishes security and trust in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). Due to the decentralized and opportunistic communication characteristics of MANETs, hashgraph consensus is more applicable to the MANET-based blockchain. Sharding scales the consensus further through disjoint nodes in multiple shards simultaneously updating ledgers. However, the dynamic addition and deletion of nodes in a shard pose challenges regarding robustness and efficiency. Particularly, the shard is vulnerable to Sybil attacks and targeted attacks, and dishonest gossip reduces the efficiency of hashgraph consensus. Therefore, we proposed a behavior-based sharding hashgraph scheme. First, dishonest behaviors of nodes are recorded in a decentralized blacklist. Gossip information is sent to a reliable neighbor, and gossip information from another reliable neighbor is received. Second, a tree-assisted inter-sharding consensus is proposed to prevent Sybil attacks. The combination of shard recovery and reconfiguration based on node state is devised to prevent targeted attacks. Finally, we conducted the performance evaluation including security analysis and experimental evaluation to reveal the security and efficiency of the proposed scheme.
This paper focuses on achieving high-level security in Mobile Adhoc Networks (MANET) by incorporating Blockchain technology-based Intrusion Detection systems (IDS). The existing works on MANET security focus on either security prevention or detection. Thus, the security level attained by the prior works is unable to cope with the increasing attacks. To resolve this main issue, this research paper introduces Lightweight Blockchain assisted Intrusion Detection System (LB-IDS) which jointly prevents and detects the attacks held on mobile networks. Initially, the network nodes are authenticated by a lightweight Blockchain-based Multi-Factor Authentication (LBMFA) scheme. This procedure prevents the malicious nodes entry to the network. Then, data packets are transmitted through the optimal route which is selected by Multi-Objective Strawberry Optimization (MOSO) algorithm. The collected data packets are fed into IDS which classifies the data into normal and malicious packets. For IDS, we proposed Deep Q-Learning (DQL) algorithm which takes actions by learning the environment. As the mitigation step, the Blockchain is updated with the trust value according to the data packet classification. For such continuous monitoring, K-Mode Clustering (KMC) algorithm is proposed. On the whole, the proposed work improves the network security in MANET through Prevention, Detection, and Mitigation. The results of the presented work attains better security level, packet delivery ratio (PDR), energy efficiency, delay, and detection accuracy.
Hamza Sohail, Mahmood ul Hassan, M. A. Elmagzoub, Adel Rajab · 9 authors
A vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) is a technique that uses vehicles with the ability to sense data from the environment and use it for their safety measures. Flooding is a commonly used term used for sending network packets. VANET may cause redundancy, delay, collision, and the incorrect receipt of the messages to their destination. Weather information is one of the most important types of information used for network control and provides an enhanced version of the network simulation environments. The network traffic delay and packet losses are the main problems identified inside the network. In this research, we propose a routing protocol which can transmit the weather forecasting information on demand based on source vehicle to destination vehicles, with the minimum number of hop counts, and provide significant control over network performance parameters. We propose a BBSF-based routing approach. The proposed technique effectively enhances the routing information and provides the secure and reliable service delivery of the network performance. The results taken from the network are based on hop count, network latency, network overhead, and packet delivery ratio. The results effectively show that the proposed technique is reliable in reducing the network latency, and that the hop count is minimized when transferring the weather information.
MANETs aredecentralized network that involves mobile nodes. As the overall network is mobile and has no centralization, network management, routing, and security become very challenging. Though many works have been presented, still there is a lack in organizing the network due to unauthorized access, centralized security schemes, and the dynamic nature of the nodes. This paper proposed a novel Blockchain-assisted Secure Routing (Block-Sec) protocol for MANETs. All mobile nodes are authenticated by Distributed One-Time Passcode (DOT) based authorization scheme. All authorized nodes are segregated into multiple clusters based on Weight based Dynamic Clustering (WDC) algorithm in which multiple metrics are considered in clustering and re-clustering processes. After cluster formation, each cluster is elected with optimal Cluster Head (CH) by Strawberry Optimization (SBO) algorithm with a new objective function. After cluster formation, the optimal route is selected by Fast Neural Net-assisted Fuzzy (FNNF) algorithm by combining multiple variables. Data transmission is secured by Efficient Elliptic Curve (E2C2) algorithm. With the combined algorithms, the proposed approach obtainedimproved efficiency in packet delivery ratio (PDR), throughput, time analysis, and security level.
MANET is a collection of mobile nodes that communicate through wireless networks as they move from one point to another. MANET is an infrastructure-less network with a changeable topology; as a result, it is very susceptible to attacks. MANET attack prevention represents a serious difficulty. Malicious network nodes are the source of network-based attacks. In a MANET, attacks can take various forms, and each one alters the network's operation in its unique way. In general, attacks can be separated into two categories: those that target the data traffic on a network and those that target the control traffic. This article explains the many sorts of assaults, their impact on MANET, and the MANET-based defence measures that are currently in place. The suggested SRA that employs blockchain technology (SRABC) protects MANET from attacks and authenticates nodes. The secure routing algorithm (SRA) proposed by blockchain technology safeguards control and data flow against threats. This is achieved by generating a Hash Function for every transaction. We will begin by discussing the security of the MANET. This article's second section explores the role of blockchain in MANET security. In the third section, the SRA is described in connection with blockchain. In the fourth phase, PDR and Throughput are utilised to conduct an SRA review using Blockchain employing PDR and Throughput. The results suggest that the proposed technique enhances MANET security while concurrently decreasing delay. The performance of the proposed technique is analysed and compared to the routing protocols Q-AODV and DSR.
We study a mechanism design problem in the blockchain proof-of-stake (PoS) protocol. Our main objective is to extend the transaction fee mechanism (TFM) recently proposed in Chung and Shi (SODA, p.3856-3899, 2023), so as to incorporate a long-run utility model for the miner into the burning second-price auction mechanism $\texttt{BSP}(γ)$ proposed in Chung and Shi (where $γ$ is a key parameter in the strict $γ$-utility model that is applied to both miners and users). First, we derive an explicit functional form for the long-run utility of the miner using a martingale approach, and reveal a critical discontinuity of the utility function, namely a small deviation from being truthful will yield a discrete jump (up or down) in the miner's utility. We show that because of this discontinuity the $\texttt{BSP}(γ)$ mechanism will fail a key desired property in TFM, $c$-side contract proofness ($c$-SCP). As a remedy, we introduce another parameter $θ$, and propose a new $\texttt{BSP}(θ)$ mechanism, and prove that it satisfies all three desired properties of TFM: user- and miner-incentive compatibility (UIC and MIC) as well as $c$-SCP, provided the parameter $θ$ falls into a specific range, along with a proper tick size imposed on user bids.
Paola Torrico Morón, Salma Salimi, Jorge Peña Queralta, Tomi Westerlund
Systems for relative localization in multi-robot systems based on ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging have recently emerged as robust solutions for GNSS-denied environments. Scalability remains one of the key challenges, particularly in ad-hoc deployments. Recent solutions include dynamic allocation of active and passive localization modes for different robots or nodes in the system. With larger-scale systems becoming more distributed, key research questions arise in the areas of security and trustability of such localization systems. This paper studies the potential integration of collaborative-decision making processes with distributed ledger technologies. Specifically, we investigate the design and implementation of a methodology for running an UWB role allocation algorithm within smart contracts in a blockchain. In previous works, we have separately studied the integration of ROS2 with the Hyperledger Fabric blockchain, and introduced a new algorithm for scalable UWB-based localization. In this paper, we extend these works by (i) running experiments with larger number of mobile robots switching between different spatial configurations and (ii) integrating the dynamic UWB role allocation algorithm into Fabric smart contracts for distributed decision-making in a system of multiple mobile robots. This enables us to deliver the same functionality within a secure and trustable process, with enhanced identity and data access management. Our results show the effectiveness of the UWB role allocation for continuously varying spatial formations of six autonomous mobile robots, while demonstrating a low impact on latency and computational resources of adding the blockchain layer that does not affect the localization process.