A survey: energy exhausting attacks in MAC protocols in WBANs

Abstract

Because the sensors of wireless body area networks (WBANs) have limited battery power, many studies have focused on energy efficient medium access control (MAC) protocols to extend the lifetime of the sensors. In addition, WBANs face energy-exhausting attacks, which force the sensors to consume battery power partially or thoroughly. These attacks occur mainly in the MAC layer and threaten severely the energy efficiency of MAC protocols in WBANs. Because the attacks are made abruptly and unexpectedly, the lives of human beings and the quality of health care services can be threatened. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the major types of energy exhausting attacks in MAC protocols in WBANs, and show how easily the attacks can cause energy exhaustion in different MAC protocols. This survey provides clues for future research into energy efficient MAC protocols in WBANs.