Energy and Security-Aware Spectrum Management in Cognitive Radio Sensor Network Over Rayleigh Channels

Cognitive Radio Sensor Networks (CRSNs) are envisioned to overcome spectrum scarcity by enabling opportunistic spectrum access. However, their performance is severely degraded by security threats such as Primary User Emulation Attacks (PUEAs), inefficient routing, and unfair channel allocation. In this paper, we present an Energy and PUEA-Aware Algorithm for Rayleigh Fading Channels (EPA-RF) that integrates security, energy efficiency, and fairness in CRSNs operating over Rayleigh flat fading channels. First, to mitigate the energy gap issue and improve network longevity, the algorithm optimally adjusts cluster radius and supports multi-hop forwarding with minimized control overhead. Secondly, for optimal spectrum utilization, a Moth Flame Optimization (MFO) based channel allocation scheme is employed to maximize throughput while ensuring fairness among secondary users. Finally, the PUEA mechanism is introduced, in which a malicious user intelligently senses the spectrum environment and transmits signals that imitate genuine primary users to deceive secondary users. Simulation results verify that the proposed integrated framework significantly enhances throughput, prolongs network lifetime, and mitigates the adverse effects of PUEAs compared to existing approaches.