Non-zero-sum game-based trust model to enhance wireless sensor networks security for IoT applications

Nowadays, trust models of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) security have flourished due to the day-to-day attack challenges, which are most popular for internet of things (IoT). This article proposes a trust model based on non-zero-sum game approach for clustered-WSNs (CWSNs) security to maximise the data trustworthiness transmission. The proposed model is developed for two different attack-defence scenarios. In the first scenario, the trust model is used to face a denial-of-service (DoS) attack in which the attacker is able to drop or partially drop the delivered acknowledgments (ACKs) from a cluster member (CM) to the cluster head (CH). In the second scenario, the model target is to protect CWSNs from ON–OFF attack where the attacker is capable to frequently infect the CMs. Simulation results show improved performance of protecting the CWSNs against DoS/ON–OFF attacks and maximising data trustworthiness represented by the CMs compliance of sending the ACKs to the CH. Consequently, this mechanism can attain the appropriate security and performance for WSN-based IoT systems.