NWU produces research that matters

Welcome to 2022's first edition of the North-West University's newsletter, Research@NWU.

In this study, the road ahead is accident-free

Have you ever imagined a society that is free of road accidents? A road environment where cars can connect and communicate to aid in your decision-making abilities on the road? Well, this is, among other things, what Dr Thulani Phakathi, a recent NWU PhD graduate, is envisaging through his doctoral research.

His PhD study focused on using cybersecurity technology to improve telecommunications network performance and the design of efficient routing protocols.

The title of his research topic is "Node-based quality of service-aware security framework for sinkhole attacks in mobile ad hoc networks".

A sinkhole attack?

A sinkhole attack does not refer to the massive holes that open up under roads or buildings, but to a network-based attack where a malicious node tries to attract network traffic by advertising its fake route update. It alters or even drops routing information being transmitted in the network. This is a problem that has affected telecommunication networks for years.

Thulani's research presents a node-based security framework that guards against sinkhole attacks by removing fake routes and ensuring bandwidth optimisation.

The study tackled different aspects of mobile ad hoc networks, or MANETs for short, including network performance, trust management and, ultimately, the design of an effective security framework.

Thulani says the internet of things (IoT) will play a huge role in the future internet paradigm.

"The aim is to position MANETs as powerhouses and strategic players in future smart cars, cities and environments," he says.

Where does smart cars fit in?

In case you are wondering what all this has to do with smart cities and smart (meaning accident-free) cars, Thulani explains that telecommunication networks are behind it all. Improving mobile communication, whether between vehicles, between vehicles and roadside units, or between roadside units, paves the way for better safety management, traffic management and internet services.

He is quick to add that technology will not replace people. "I have never seen technology as a replacement for human efforts, but simply as an enabler of processes. That is how I perceive MANETs. Their contribution to the road environment, military space and homes is exactly what we anticipate from modern technology."

Thulani says he read extensively about MANETs to understand all the potential they hold for the future. "I have always thought about the modern digital battlefield within the military space and about just how critical reliable communication is in emergency rescue operations like floods and fires where there is no existing infrastructure in place."

The aim, says Thulani, is to progress these studies to the point where we stop imagining a road accident-free society and actually live in one.