An apparatus and method for providing data packet security in a wireless sensor network including a plurality of sensor nodes. The apparatus includes a memory unit for storing a plurality of node characteristic information and a plurality of settable security status information, each of the node characteristic information corresponding to at least one of the settable security status information; and a control unit for examining the node characteristic information of the control unit, if a data packet generation request is made, detecting the security status information corresponding to the examined node characteristic information from the memory unit, and generating data packets including the detected security status information.