A Visualization of RPL-based Blackhole Attacks in Contiki OS
Khush Parikh, Kaushal Arvindbhai Shah · 2025
Ensuring secure and reliable data transmission in Internet of Things (IoT) networks is critical, particularly when utilizing the blackhole-attack-prone Routing Protocol for LowPower and Lossy Networks (RPL). The purpose of this study is to examine how blackhole attacks affect RPL-based IoT networks and suggest possible defenses. Using the Cooja simulation environment and Contiki OS, we implemented a controlled experiment where a malicious node selectively drops packets to evaluate its effect on key network performance metrics, such as network delays, energy usage, and packet delivery ratio (PDR). The findings reveal that blackhole attacks significantly degrade network performance, leading to a drastic reduction in PDR, increased end-to-end latency and higher energy consumption. These results highlight the severity of security threats in RPLbased networks and emphasize the need for robust intrusion detection and prevention mechanisms. This study provides valuable insights for researchers and developers in order to improve security of IoT networks by proposing effective countermeasures to increase the resilience of networks and lessen the effects of blackhole attacks.