Selfishness in Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks: A Literature Review on Detection Techniques and Prevention Mechanisms

Abstract

Constant connectivity is one of the most challenging requirements modern communicationnetworks promise to satisfy. 5G and Beyond applications and the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT)applications make mobile networks one of the most discussed research topics of the present, while researchis already moving towards the design specifications and development of 6G services and solutions. Usingmulti-hop patterns, mobile nodes can move around always maintaining their connectivity in a pervasiveand ubiquitous manner. New possibilities emerge from this progress, whereas long known challenges stillexist and evolve. One of them is the selfishness or unwillingness of some nodes to spend resources to servethe communication requests of other nodes, not in a malicious but rather in a self-conservative manner.While intentional misbehavior of nodes is considered a security issue, selfishness is studied separately inthe relevant literature and has attracted a lot of research attention. In this review we attempt to present theleading research on the detection techniques and the preventive mechanisms employed by previous studiesto address the selfishness problem in mobile ad hoc networks, and to identify the trends during the pastfew years, focusing primarily on the routing layer. We follow a systematic methodology to identify, select,categorize, and analyze the relevant research and we use a concept-centric approach to present the resultsforming a comprehensive starting point for future research.