Improving Trust Management in Ad-hoc Networks

Ad-hoc networks have gained widespread acknowledgment for facilitating wireless communication among IoT devices without a central mediator, underscoring their efficacy and versatility. Nonetheless, challenges persist in ensuring security and reliability among devices, posing a critical consideration. Consequently, we undertook the development of a trust management system to address these challenges and elevate security and reliability in such networks.The trust management system introduces a dynamic evaluation of the relationship between the Trustee and the Trustee, wherein the Truster makes decisions to determine the most appropriate path based on accumulated trust values derived from interactions with other contracts acting as Trustees. This endeavor aims to establish a secure and reliable environment for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The simulation, implemented using MATLAB, demonstrates the system’s effectiveness in identifying and isolating malicious contracts over time, thereby significantly mitigating their interference in optimal path selection within ad-hoc networks. The observed results indicate a notable increase in the detection and isolation rates of malicious devices, dynamically preventing their interference in optimal path selection decisions within ad-hoc networks. Consequently, the proposed trust management system significantly augments overall security, contributing to the establishment of a secure communication environment. Future research endeavors can further evaluate the proposed trust management system in diverse network environments.