Due to the broadcast nature of radio propagation, the wireless air interface is open and accessible to both authorized and illegitimate users. This completely differs from a wired network, where communicating devices are physically connected through cables and a node without direct association is unable to access the network for illicit activities. The open communications environment makes wireless transmissions more vulnerable than wired communications to malicious attacks, including both the passive eavesdropping for data interception and the active jamming for disrupting legitimate transmissions. Therefore, this paper is motivated to examine the security vulnerabilities and threats imposed by the inherent open nature of wireless communications and to devise efficient defense mechanisms for improving the wireless network security. We first summarize the security requirements of wireless networks, including their authenticity, confidentiality, integrity, and availability issues. Next, a comprehensive overview of security attacks encountered in wireless networks is presented in view of the network protocol architecture, where the potential security threats are discussed at each protocol layer. We also provide a survey of the existing security protocols and algorithms that are adopted in the existing wireless network standards, such as the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, and the long-term evolution (LTE) systems. Then, we discuss the state of the art in physical-layer security, which is an emerging technique of securing the open communications environment against eavesdropping attacks at the physical layer. Several physical-layer security techniques are reviewed and compared, including information-theoretic security, artificial-noise-aided security, security-oriented beamforming, diversity-assisted security, and physical-layer key generation approaches. Since a jammer emitting radio signals can readily interfere with the legitimate wireless users, we also introduce the family of various jamming attacks and their countermeasures, including the constant jammer, intermittent jammer, reactive jammer, adaptive jammer, and intelligent jammer. Additionally, we discuss the integration of physical-layer security into existing authentication and cryptography mechanisms for further securing wireless networks. Finally, some technical challenges which remain unresolved at the time of writing are summarized and the future trends in wireless security are discussed.

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A Survey on Wireless Security: Technical Challenges, Recent Advances, and Future Trends

This paper examines the security vulnerabilities and threats imposed by the inherent open nature of wireless communications and to devise efficient defense mechanisms for improving the wireless network security. We first summarize the security requirements of wireless networks, including their authenticity, confidentiality, integrity and availability issues. Next, a comprehensive overview of security attacks encountered in wireless networks is presented in view of the network protocol architecture, where the potential security threats are discussed at each protocol layer. We also provide a survey of the existing security protocols and algorithms that are adopted in the existing wireless network standards, such as the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, and the long-term evolution (LTE) systems. Then, we discuss the state-of-the-art in physical-layer security, which is an emerging technique of securing the open communications environment against eavesdropping attacks at the physical layer. We also introduce the family of various jamming attacks and their counter-measures, including the constant jammer, intermittent jammer, reactive jammer, adaptive jammer and intelligent jammer. Additionally, we discuss the integration of physical-layer security into existing authentication and cryptography mechanisms for further securing wireless networks. Finally, some technical challenges which remain unresolved at the time of writing are summarized and the future trends in wireless security are discussed.

/pdf/a-survey-on-wireless-security-technical-challenges-recent-k705wofne7.pdf

A Survey on Wireless Security: Technical Challenges, Recent Advances and Future Trends

Wireless networks are a key component of the telecommunications infrastructure in our society, and wireless services become increasingly important as the applications of wireless devices have penetrated every aspect of our lives. Although wireless technologies have significantly advanced in the past decades, most wireless networks are still vulnerable to radio jamming attacks due to the openness nature of wireless channels, and the progress in the design of jamming-resistant wireless networking systems remains limited. This stagnation can be attributed to the lack of practical physical-layer wireless technologies that can efficiently decode data packets in the presence of jamming attacks. This article surveys existing jamming attacks and anti-jamming strategies in wireless local area networks (WLANs), cellular networks, cognitive radio networks (CRNs), ZigBee networks, Bluetooth networks, vehicular networks, LoRa networks, RFID networks, and GPS system, with the objective of offering a comprehensive knowledge landscape of existing jamming/anti-jamming strategies and stimulating more research efforts to secure wireless networks against jamming attacks. Different from prior survey papers, this article conducts a comprehensive, in-depth review on jamming and anti-jamming strategies, casting insights on the design of jamming-resilient wireless networking systems. An outlook on promising antijamming techniques is offered at the end of this article to delineate important research directions.

Jamming Attacks and Anti-Jamming Strategies in Wireless Networks: A Comprehensive Survey.

Wireless networks are a key component of the telecommunications infrastructure in our society, and wireless services become increasingly important as the applications of wireless devices have penetrated every aspect of our lives. Although wireless technologies have significantly advanced in the past decades, most wireless networks are still vulnerable to radio jamming attacks due to the openness nature of wireless channels, and the progress in the design of jamming-resistant wireless networking systems remains limited. This stagnation can be attributed to the lack of practical physical-layer wireless technologies that can efficiently decode data packets in the presence of jamming attacks. This article surveys existing jamming attacks and anti-jamming strategies in wireless local area networks (WLANs), cellular networks, cognitive radio networks (CRNs), ZigBee networks, Bluetooth networks, vehicular networks, LoRa networks, RFID networks, GPS system, millimeter-wave (mmWave) and learning-assisted wireless systems, with the objective of offering a comprehensive knowledge landscape of existing jamming and anti-jamming strategies and therefore stimulating more research efforts to secure wireless networks against jamming attacks. Different from prior survey papers, this article conducts a comprehensive, in-depth review on jamming and anti-jamming strategies, casting insights on the design of jamming-resilient wireless networking systems. An outlook on promising anti-jamming techniques is offered at the end of this article to delineate important research directions. 

/pdf/jamming-attacks-and-anti-jamming-strategies-in-wireless-v9tpr64g.pdf

Jamming Attacks and Anti-Jamming Strategies in Wireless Networks: A Comprehensive Survey

Modern tactical wireless network (TWN) communication technologies are not only capable of transmitting voice but also capable of transmitting data. Due to such capabilities, TWN have high security requirements as any security breach can lead to detrimental effects. Hence, securing such an environment is not only a requirement but also a virtual prerequisite to the network centric warfare operational (NCW) theory. One key to securing this environment is to promptly and accurately recognize information warfare attacks directed to the network and respond to them. This is achieved using intrusion detection systems (IDS). However, false detection of nodes in hostile environment remains a major problem that need to be addressed. Recently, machine learning methods and algorithms have shown applicability and are growing research area for cyber security and intrusion detection. Conversely, several decades of research in the field of machine learning have resulted in a multitude of different algorithms for solving a broad range of problems. The question then becomes, which one amongst these machine learning algorithms have the potential to enhance or address IDS issues in TWN. In this paper, seven machine learning classifiers are analyzed; Multi-Layer Perceptron, Bayesian Network, Support Vector Machine (SMO), Adaboost, Random Forest, Bootstrap Aggregation, and Decision Tree (J48). WEKA tool was used to implement and evaluate the classifiers. The results obtained indicate that ensemble-based learning methods outperformed single learning methods when we consider the detection accuracy metrics; AUC, TPR, and FPR. However, ensemble classifiers tend to be slower in in terms of build time and model test time.

Performance Analysis of Machine Learning Classifiers for Intrusion Detection

As the military continues its transformation towards Network Centric Warfare, a quickly-deployable communication solution for a Tactical Operations Center is required. The U.S. Army uses Secure Wireless Local Area Network (SWLAN) with IEEE 802.11 standard waveforms to quickly set up Tactical Operations Center communications without cables. A SWLAN provides extremely secure mobile wireless data communication with COMSEC, TRANSEC, and monitoring systems to detect PHY and MAC layer misbehavior. However, the SWLAN cannot mitigate a smart jammer that transmits back-to-back packets on the detected channel after scanning all of the channels until a legitimate communication hops to a new channel. In this paper, we introduce an adaptive rapid channel-hopping scheme using Dwell Window and a Deception Mechanism to mitigate smart jammer attacks. The Dwell Window is a novel concept to adjust transmission time based on jammer's capability. The Deception Mechanism is another novel concept to force the jammer to attack an inactive channel by deceiving the jammer. Numerical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed scheme is more effective than prior studies.

Adaptive rapid channel-hopping scheme mitigating smart jammer attacks in secure WLAN

In this paper, we propose a new channel hopping scheme based on IEEE 802.11h as a good countermeasure against jamming attacks in IEEE 802.11 wireless networks. 802.11h Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) is a mechanism which enables hopping to a best channel with full channel measurement, not a randomly chosen channel, when the current link quality degradation occurs due to interferers such as military radars. However, under jammer attacks, this needs a time for full channel measurement before a new channel hopping and due to link disconnection during the time network performance degradation is inevitable. In contrast, our proposed schemes make an immediate response right after a jammer detection since every device is aware of next hopping channel in advance. To do this, a next hopping channel is announced by Beacon frames and the channel is selected by full channel measurement within Beacon intervals. Simulation results show that proposed scheme minimizes throughput degradation and keeps the advantages of DFS.

Measurement-based Channel Hopping Scheme against Jamming Attacks in IEEE 802.11 Wireless Networks

802.11 networks have inherent security weaknesses due to wireless characteristics, especially physical layer jamming. Recent research shows channel hopping is a better way to combat jamming or interference compared to changing 802.11 operational parameters (such as, clear channel assessment threshold, rate, and packet size). However frequent channel hopping decreases network throughput, and intermittent channel hopping raises the jammer's detection probability. We introduce an Adaptive Rapid Channel Hopping method using Dwell Window (DW) to mitigate these defects. This is a novel concept to adjust transmission time based on the jammer's ability. That is, if a jammer successfully attacks a channel, the channel's DW is decreased to reduce the jammer's detection probability. In the case where there is no jamming, DW is increased to raise network throughput. In addition to this scheme, we introduce a Deception Mechanism that is another novel concept to make a jammer attack an unnecessary channel for a high throughput and a low probability of detection. Numerical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed scheme is more effective than those of prior studies.

Anti jamming - based medium access control using adaptive rapid channel hopping in 802.11: AJ-MAC

Recently, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) is used by enterprises, government, and the military, as well as small office and home offices. Although it is convenient, it has inherent security weaknesses due to wireless characteristics. For this reason, security-sensitive groups are still unwilling to use WLAN. There are several types of attacks to degrade the wireless network throughput using security weakness, especially Protocol Jamming Attacks are critical. These attacks consume little energy and can be easily implemented. In this paper, we introduce Authentication-based Medium Access Control (A-MAC) to prevent Virtual Carrier Sense (VCS) Jamming Attack and De-authentication / Disassociation Jamming Attack that are typical Protocol Jamming Attacks in 802.11 based wireless systems. The proposed scheme can authenticate frames using Universal Hashing Message Authentication Codes (UMAC-32) and Hidden Sequence Number (SN). A-MAC frequently changes the key and SN using shift row and shift column processes to overcome the weakness of short 32 bits hashing codes. A-MAC can achieve integrity, authentication, and anti-replay attack security features. It can prevent Protocol Jamming Attacks that degrade wireless network throughput. Our simulation shows A-MAC can sustain throughput under Protocol Jamming Attacks.

Authentication – based medium access control to prevent protocol jamming: A-MAC

A scrambling attack is a form of intentional physical jamming attack. A scrambling attack attempts to disrupt specific intervals, such as a control channel. In IEEE 802.16 systems such as WiBro and WiMax, the control channel is located at the beginning of a frame, which has a fixed duration and empty intervals of a receive transition gap (RTG) within its duration. Hostile attackers can easily detect the start time of frames and jam the control channel using a scrambling attack due to these features of IEEE 802.16 systems. In this paper, we propose an approach to prevent the disruption of the control channel from this scrambling attack in IEEE 802.16 systems. The control channel, including frame control header (FCH), downlink map (DL-MAP), and uplink map (UL-MAP), is hopped based on a common hopping sequence to a different symbol index in the downlink at each frame. Simulations show that the control channel of the proposed scheme survives against the scrambling attack and an additional random pulse jamming attack in the time domain.

Jaemin Jeung

Papers

Adaptive rapid channel-hopping scheme mitigating smart jammer attacks in secure WLAN

Measurement-based Channel Hopping Scheme against Jamming Attacks in IEEE 802.11 Wireless Networks

Anti jamming - based medium access control using adaptive rapid channel hopping in 802.11: AJ-MAC

Authentication – based medium access control to prevent protocol jamming: A-MAC

Control channel hopping for avoidance of scrambling attacks in IEEE 802.16 systems