Advisor(s)
(a-ammar@onu.edu) Ahmed Ammar, Ohio Northern University
Confirmation
1
Document Type
Paper
Location
ONU McIntosh Center; Dean's Heritage
Start Date
21-4-2026 3:40 PM
End Date
21-4-2026 3:55 PM
Abstract
This paper investigates a Trojan attack targeting the time-division multiple access (TDMA) synchronization mechanism in single-hop energy-harvesting wireless networks. The attack compromises a single node, which subtly skews its transmission timing to operate outside its assigned time slot, causing localized transmission overlaps and triggering repeated network-wide resynchronization events. This behavior shortens the synchronization interval, significantly increases control-plane traffic, and leads to higher energy consumption and delay in energy-constrained networks. The attack is modeled within a finite state machine (FSM) framework and experimentally evaluated under varying energy-harvesting conditions. Experimental results show that the number of synchronization events can increase by up to 29× in the presence of the Trojan. Furthermore, changes in the synchronization interval and its statistical variability are shown to be effective indicators of both severe and stealthy Trojan activity, highlighting the substantial impact of a low-footprint attack on network performance.
Recommended Citation
Berei, Ethan, "A Trojan Attack on TDMA Synchronization in Energy-Harvesting Wireless Networks" (2026). ONU Student Research Colloquium. 41.
https://digitalcommons.onu.edu/student_research_colloquium/2026/Papers/41
Open Access
Available to all.
A Trojan Attack on TDMA Synchronization in Energy-Harvesting Wireless Networks
ONU McIntosh Center; Dean's Heritage
This paper investigates a Trojan attack targeting the time-division multiple access (TDMA) synchronization mechanism in single-hop energy-harvesting wireless networks. The attack compromises a single node, which subtly skews its transmission timing to operate outside its assigned time slot, causing localized transmission overlaps and triggering repeated network-wide resynchronization events. This behavior shortens the synchronization interval, significantly increases control-plane traffic, and leads to higher energy consumption and delay in energy-constrained networks. The attack is modeled within a finite state machine (FSM) framework and experimentally evaluated under varying energy-harvesting conditions. Experimental results show that the number of synchronization events can increase by up to 29× in the presence of the Trojan. Furthermore, changes in the synchronization interval and its statistical variability are shown to be effective indicators of both severe and stealthy Trojan activity, highlighting the substantial impact of a low-footprint attack on network performance.