Performance Evaluation of MANET Protocols against Sleep Deprivation Attacks

Abstract

Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks (MANETs) are critical in many modern applications due to their flexible and decentralized nature. However, they face significant security challenges, notably Sleep Deprivation Attacks (SDAs), which can severely degrade network performance. This study evaluates the performance of three MANET routing protocols—Adaptive On-demand Distance Vector (AODV), Low Energy Adaptive Clustered Hierarchical (LEACH), and Ensemble On-demand Low Energy Adaptive Clustered Hierarchical (EO LEACH)—under SDA conditions before and after the application of clustering techniques. Using MATLAB for simulation, the study compares protocol performance based on Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR), Average Energy Consumption, and End-to-End Delay. The findings highlight the importance of clustering in enhancing protocol resilience and efficiency, providing valuable insights for the design of more secure and robust MANETs.