The effects of black hole attacks on the performance of AODV, DSR, and OLSR in mobile ad-hoc networks

Abstract

Black Hole attacks manipulate Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) routing protocols by deceiving nodes sending data into believing that the malicious Black Hole node has the optimal route available for data transmission to the intended recipient node. The ability to implement the appropriate routing protocol is essential in minimising the impact Black Hole attacks have on MANETs. In this study, the Ad-hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV), Dynamic Source Routing (DSR), and Optimised Link State Routing (OLSR) protocols were simulated under no-attack as well as under Black Hole attack scenarios to determine which of these protocols performed best. The results were analysed using the performance metrics of throughput, end-to-end delay, and packet delivery ratio (PDR). The results of the simulations showed that AODV was more vulnerable to Black Hole attacks than DSR or OLSR. Furthermore, the results showed that the adverse effects of a Black Hole attack on throughput, end-to-end delay, and PDR were more significant in AODV as opposed to DSR, which had the best overall performance.