An Adaptive Hybrid Reputation System (AHRS) in Caching Data for Mobile Ad-hoc Networks

Cooperative caching in ad-hoc networks are currently receiving much attention as a means of sharing and distributing information. However, open nature of these networks offers an almost ideal environment for the spread of self-replicating inauthentic files. In this paper we propose a reputation system called Adaptive Hybrid Reputation System (AHRS) for Cooperative caching in MANETS to decrease the number of inauthentic data or path retrieves. This system assigns each node a unique global trust value, based on the nodes history of uploads. Then we present a distributed and secure method to compute global trust values, by aggregating the local trust values from the trusted nodes. By having nodes use these global trust values to choose the nodes from whom they retrieve the data or path, the network effectively identifies malicious nodes and isolates them from the network. In simulations, this reputation system, called Adaptive Hybrid Reputation System, has been shown to significantly decrease the number of inauthentic data on the network, even under a variety of conditions where malicious nodes cooperate in an attempt to deliberately subvert the system.