Mitigating instances of delay attacks in a communication network

Abstract

A communication network for mitigating delay attacks includes one or more sender nodes in electronic communication with one or more receiver nodes. The one or more receiver nodes execute instructions to periodically transmit, by a receiver node, a challenge message to a sender node. In response to accepting the challenge message and determining there is data to transmit to the receiver node, the sender node transmits a functional message to the receiver node. In response to determining an updated freshness value is more recent when compared to a current freshness value associated with the sender node, a sender message authentication code is correct and consistent over at least one previous challenge message, and the response to the challenge message from the receiver node is correct, the receiver node updates the current freshness value to match the updated freshness value and accepts the functional message.