SDAW: secure data aggregation watermarking-based scheme in homogeneous WSNs

Redundant data retransmission problem in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) can be eliminated using the data aggregation process which combines similar data to reduce the resource-consumption and consequently, saves energy during data transmission. In the recent days, many researchers have focused on securing this paradigm despite the constraints it imposes such as the limited resources. Most of the solutions proposed to secure the data aggregation process in WSNs are essentially based on the use of encryption keys to protect data during their transmission in the network. Indeed, the key generation and distribution mechanisms involve additional computation costs and consume more of energy. Considering this, in this paper, we propose a new security mechanism to secure data aggregation in WSNs called SDAW (secure data aggregation watermarking-based scheme in homogeneous WSNs). Our mechanism aims to secure the data aggregation process while saving energy. For this, the mechanism uses a lightweight fragile watermarking technique without encryption to insure the authentication and the integrity of the sensed data while saving the energy. The links between the sensor nodes and the aggregation nodes, and also the links between the aggregation nodes and the base station are secured by using the watermarking mechanism.