Secure data aggregation methods and countermeasures against various attacks in wireless sensor networks: A comprehensive review

Abstract Wireless sensor networks include a large number of sensor nodes, which monitor an environment. These networks have many applications in Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT (IIoT). In wireless sensor networks, data aggregation methods are known as a suitable solution that can reduce energy consumption. In addition, these networks are subject to many attacks due to their wireless communications. Therefore, it is very important to provide data security in the data aggregation process. In this paper, we introduce some secure data aggregation schemes in wireless sensor networks and express their strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, we categorize secure data aggregation methods based on network model, network topology, key cryptography technique, encryption method, application, authentication mechanism, and data recovery ability. We believe that this taxonomy can help researchers to design secure and efficient data aggregation methods in wireless sensor networks, identify problems in existing methods, and solve them. Also, familiarity with new techniques and challenges in this field helps researchers to identify future research directions.