Solving Secluded Path Problem by Heuristics and Local Search

Abstract

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) play a crucial role in various domains, from commercial to military, enabling precise monitoring of environmental and other conditions. However, the transmission of sensitive data in WSNs poses security challenges, particularly concerning eavesdropping attacks. While cryptographic methods offer protection, they often incur high energy costs, making them impractical for battery-powered WSNs. Our problem formulation, based on graph theory, reduces to the Secluded Paths problem for which no polynomial solution yet to known. Motivated by the challenge of reducing the eavesdropping risk through intelligent routing, we propose a scalable optimization approach using heuristics and local search techniques. We present a solution framework, followed by an experimental evaluation to demonstrate its efficacy. This paper contributes to the advancement of secure and efficient data transmission in WSNs. © 2024 ACM.