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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Non-invasive WDM channel scrambling for secure high data rate optical transmissions

Joaquin Cornejo, Jean-Louis de Bougrenet de La Tocnaye

Published Apr 25, 2008• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

This paper proposes a non-invasive optical scrambling technique to secure optical transmissions at high data rates (>10Gb/s). The proposed method belongs to the optical code-division multiple access (OCDMA) technique, using spectral phase encoding, based on overlapping of adjacent scrambled/spread pulses to encrypt transmitted data. In our system, data confidentiality is directly related to scrambled/spread pulse interference, avoiding direct detection by a power detector, in contrast to network access application (OCDMA), where this overlapping should be avoided. Our goal is to secure data transmission without impacting the physical layer, by guaranteeing the optical transparency of the encryption technique with respect to conventional transmission equipments. Therefore, we simulated the system penalty as a function of the transmission distance for a bit error rate (BER) target of 10-9 to estimate the impact of the linear and non-linear transmission effects on our encryption technique. We consider a point-to-point span for mono-channel and multi-channel setups where self-phase modulation (SPM) and cross-phase modulation (XPM) become significant. In the last section, we discuss the resilience of our encryption technique to some realistic attack scenarios. The eavesdropper can use the linear optical sampling (LOS) technique, which with coherence conditions on the waveform under test, permits to extract the amplitude and the phase of each spectral compound, enabling, to determinate the phase filter used to encrypt. Determining the necessary time to crack the mask allows us to establish the mask refreshment to guarantee data confidentiality.

DOI
10.1117/12.781036

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This paper proposes a non-invasive optical scrambling technique to secure optical transmissions at high data rates
(>10Gb/s). The proposed method belongs to the optical code-division multiple access (OCDMA) technique, using
spectral phase encoding, based on overlapping of adjacent scrambled/spread pulses to encrypt transmitted data. In our
system, data confidentiality is directly related to scrambled/spread pulse interference, avoiding direct detection by a
power detector, in contrast to network access application (OCDMA), where this overlapping should be avoided. Our goal
is to secure data transmission without impacting the physical layer, by guaranteeing the optical transparency of the
encryption technique with respect to conventional transmission equipments. Therefore, we simulated the system penalty
as a function of the transmission distance for a bit error rate (BER) target of 10-9 to estimate the impact of the linear and
non-linear transmission effects on our encryption technique. We consider a point-to-point span for mono-channel and
multi-channel setups where self-phase modulation (SPM) and cross-phase modulation (XPM) become significant. In the
last section, we discuss the resilience of our encryption technique to some realistic attack scenarios. The eavesdropper
can use the linear optical sampling (LOS) technique, which with coherence conditions on the waveform under test,
permits to extract the amplitude and the phase of each spectral compound, enabling, to determinate the phase filter used
to encrypt. Determining the necessary time to crack the mask allows us to establish the mask refreshment to guarantee
data confidentiality.
This paper puts forward a cross-layer security model for optical networks using Spectral Amplitude CodingOptical Code Division Multiple Access (SAC-OCDMA) as a combination with optical cryptography. The new architecture provides data confidentiality through two layers of protection: (1) physical layer Bragg filter-based spectral encoding and (2) data layer XOR logic gate-based encryption through a Semiconductor Optical Amplifier Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (SOA-MZI). In this method, unauthorized users must bypass both the spectral coding and optical encryption mechanisms, which significantly strengthen transmission security. The system is simulated using OptiSystem software, and the results show an improved perfor- mance of the Bit Error Rate (BER) and Quality (Q) factors. This hybrid optical security model demonstrates high potential for applications in secure fiber-optic communication networks.
We propose and experimentally demonstrate a transparent optical-code-division multiplexing (OCDM) overlay public dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) network architecture enabled by a passive spectral notch filter for extracting and detecting a secure OCDM signal, which employs a time domain spectral phase encoding/decoding scheme that can simultaneously generate differential-phase-shift-keying (DPSK) data and optical code patterns using only a single phase modulator. The time domain encoded OCDM signal has been scrambled bit-by-bit by a prime hopping pattern and concealed in the public DWDM channels to significantly improve the OCDM channel security. The effect of optical code patterns, the channel number, and bandwidth of the spectral notch filters on the system performance has been theoretically simulated and experimentally validated. In the experiment, error-free transmission of a 2.5-Gb/s time domain spectral phase encoded DPSK–OCDM signal with three 8-chip, 20-Gchip/s optical codes and a scrambled code pattern in the transparent OCDM overlay two-channel 10-Gb/s DWDM network has been successfully demonstrated.
Security enhancement of stealth channel by combining time-domain spectral phase en/decoding (SPE/D) OCDMA scheme and group velocity dispersion is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The time-domain spectral phase encoded OCDMA signal, which utilizes a linearly chirped fiber Bragg grating for pulse broadening and a high-speed phase modulator for SPE, has been stealth transmitted over a public wavelengthdivision-multiplexing network. Error-free transmission (bit-error rate-9) has been achieved for both the public and stealth channel with 32-chip 40-Gchip/s gold codes.
As data rates outpace the capabilities of electronic encryption schemes, photonic layer security may fill the gap in providing a communication security solution at high data rates. In this article we review and highlight the advantages of our proposed optical code-division multiplexed (OCDM)-based photonic layer security (PLS) system based on high-resolution control of the optical phase of tightly spaced phase locked laser lines. Such a PLS system is scaleable to 100 Gb/s and provides a protocol independent security solution. We review the use of high-resolution control of the optical phase of mode-locked laser frequency combs as an enabling technology for a new class of OCDM systems. A network based on such systems is compatible with and can have comparable spectral efficiency to existing DWDM networks. Through inverse multiplexing of 10 Gb/s tributaries, we have already demonstrated optical transmission of a 40 Gb/s aggregate OCDM signal over 400 km. Such a PLS solution is achieved through shared phase scrambling of the individual OCDM codes assigned to each of the tributaries using an integrated micro-ring resonator-based phase coder/scrambler. The confidentiality of OCDM-based PLS is robust against exhaustive, known plain text, and archival/forensic attacks, and can complement digital encryption operating at higher layers. Moreover, the integrity of the PLS solution is ensured through the inherent coupling to confidentiality, since knowledge of the key is needed in order to easily alter the transmitted data stream without introducing observable errors. This system can leverage advances in optical integration to support new applications where electronic encryption is impractical because of space, weight, power, availability, and cost requirements. Such applications range from timely security support for the emerging 100 GbE standards to all-optical multilevel security offered through the compatibility of PLS with transparent DWDM networks.
We propose and demonstrate a novel bit-by-bit code scrambling technique based on time domain spectral phase encoding/decoding (SPE/SPD) scheme using only a single phase modulator to simultaneously generate and decode the code hopping sequence and DPSK data for secure optical communication application. In the experiment, 2.5-Gb/s DPSK data has been generated, decoded and securely transmitted over 34 km by scrambling five 8-chip, 20-Gchip/s Gold codes with prime-hop patterns. The proposed scheme can rapidly reconfigure the optical code hopping sequence bit-by-bit with the DPSK data, and thus it is very robust to conventional data rate energy detection and DPSK demodulation attack, exhibiting the potential to provide unconditional transmission security and realize even one-time pad.