Attack-Proof Cooperative Spectrum Sensing Based on Consensus Algorithm in Cognitive Radio Networks

Cooperative spectrum sensing (CSS) is an effective technology for alleviating the unreliability of local spectrum sensing due to fading/shadowing effects. Unlike most existing solutions, this paper considers the use of CSS technology in decentralized networks where a fusion center is not available. In such a decentralized network, some attackers may sneak into the ranks of cooperative users. On the basis of recent advances in bio-inspired consensus algorithms, an attack-proof, decentralized CSS scheme is proposed in which all secondary users can maintain cooperative sensing by exchanging information locally instead of requiring centralized control or data fusion. Users no longer need any prior knowledge of the network. To counter three potential categories of spectrum sensing data falsification (SSDF) attacks, some anti-attack strategies are applied to the iterative process of information exchange. This enables most authentic users to exclude potentially malicious users from their neighborhood. As represented by simulation results, the proposed scheme can generally ensure that most authentic users reach a consensus within the given number of iterations, and it also demonstrates much better robustness against different SSDF attacks than several existing schemes.