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IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Signal Processing

Optical Signal Processing and Stealth Transmission for Privacy

Ben Wu, Bhavin J. Shastri, Prateek Mittal, Alexander N. Tait, Paul R. Prucnal

Published Apr 20, 2015• 32 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Optical encryption, key generation, and optical stealth transmission techniques for protecting the privacy of communication in optical networks are proposed and summarized. The signal processing methods based on fiber components provide ways to encrypt data and generate encryption keys at the speed of data transmission in optical fibers. Private and confidential communication is achieved without compromising the capacity and bandwidth of the optical network. Optical stealth transmission can hide the signal in plain sight. Because an eavesdropper can neither read the data nor detect the existence of the transmitted signal, optical stealth transmission provides a higher level of privacy. A hybrid system which includes both the public channels and stealth channels can effectively provide anonymous communication and defend against traffic analysis.

DOI
10.1109/jstsp.2015.2424690

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Optical encryption, key generation, and optical stealth transmission techniques for protecting the privacy of communication in optical networks are proposed and summarized. The signal processing methods based on fiber components provide ways to encrypt data and generate encryption keys at the speed of data transmission in optical fibers. Private and confidential communication is achieved without compromising the capacity and bandwidth of the optical network. Optical stealth transmission can hide the signal in plain sight. Because an eavesdropper can neither read the data nor detect the existence of the transmitted signal, optical stealth transmission provides a higher level of privacy. A hybrid system which includes both the public channels and stealth channels can effectively provide anonymous communication and defend against traffic analysis.
The development of communication technology is currently progressing at an extremely rapid pace. One of the most widely applied technologies for data transmission is fiber optic communication, which uses light as the transmission medium. This technology enables data to be transmitted at very high speeds. However, in the process of data transmission, a security mechanism is required to protect information from unauthorized access. Attacks on fiber optic networks can lead to significant alterations in the data received compared to the data sent by the transmitter. This poses a serious risk, particularly when the transmitted data is confidential. Two methods that can be employed to secure fiber optic networks are Optical Steganography and Optical Encryption. The working principle of Optical Steganography involves hiding signals in public channels, while Optical Encryption functions by encrypting the transmitted signals. Both methods can be implemented using OptiSystem software. According to the results of this study, Optical Encryption demonstrates a higher level of reliability compared to Optical Steganography. Optical Encryption achieved a Q-Factor value of 14.65 and a BER of 6.55×10−49. In terms of Q-Factor, Optical Encryption is shown to be 16.3% more effective than Optical Steganography and 90.4% more efficient compared to designs without a security system.
Using optical processing techniques, we experimentally enhance the physical layer security of optical communication systems. We exploit optical encryption using fiber nonlinearity to achieve real time data encryption. By implementing interleaved waveband switching modulation and variable two-code keying to the system, the security of the data is further enhanced. Based on spread spectrum, we also demonstrate optical steganography such that the stealth signal is transmitted underneath system noise. Optical steganography in WDM and optical CDMA systems is experimentally demonstrated. We also propose and study optical CDMA-based backup channels that improve service availability without wasting the bandwidth in the backup channel. The multi-layered security provided improves the confidentiality and availability of the network.
The principle and performance of optical stealth communication technique is summarized and its applications to smart sensor networks are proposed. Optical stealth communication, which is also known as optical steganography, hides information in wide band analog noise. The wide band and fast changing noise protects the stealth information from being detected and recorded by an eavesdropper. If the matching condition cannot be achieved when receiving the stealth information, the information is permanently lost and cannot be recovered by post-processing techniques. The optical stealth communication technique is proposed to protect the sensing information in smart sensor networks. Private information in both the fronthaul connections and the communications between the sensor nodes and the wireless stations can be hidden in the optical stealth communication channels.
We evaluate the security performance of the recently proposed "stealth" approach to covert communications over a public fiber-optical network. We present quantitative security analysis to assess the vulnerability of such systems against different attacks executed by an eavesdropper. We demonstrate the security advantage of the system by examining the BER/SNR performance as a function of the fidelity of the decoder used by an eavesdropper. Effective key length is constructed as a security metric to gauge the level of confidentiality implicit in the secure transmission.
Fiber Optics Communication is also one of the major branch which is widely used in current communication world. Due to several advantages of fiber optics communication over different conventional wired communication method it is having higher priority. Though fiber optic transmits large amount of data quickly over long distance, it is vulnerable to various security attacks. The fiber optic cable can be easily tapped. Fundamental improvements can be achieved for the entire network by increasing the optical network’s performance in terms of channel capacity, data rate, and processing speed. Furthermore, the security of the optical network has an impact on the security of the entire communication system. Optical network security can be effectively protected by fiber-based methods, including all optical signal processing, optical key distribution, optical steganography, and optical chaos-based communication. Fiber-based devices do not radiate an electromagnetic signature and are immune to electromagnetic interference. To provide end to end secure fiber optic communication, a special encryption algorithm based on Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is employed. The proposed encryption algorithm is simulated and the performance is analyzed. In this paper we are mostly dealing with the basics of fiber optics working principle, priority over other conventional communication system and role of fiber optics communication in computer networking and its vulnerabilities.
The growing awareness of the vulnerability of information transmitted on communication systems within the government, military and commercial sectors, has stimulated a number of areas of research within the optical community to design optical hardware encryption systems providing inherent immunity to espionage techniques. This paper describes a hardware optical encryption technique that utilises off the shelf telecommunication equipment and negates the necessity for an independent key distribution system with respect to the data transmission system, as is common with alternative encryption system implementations. This method also lends itself easily to fiber optic or free space communication and is applicable within any optical waveband. The encryption-decryption of the optical signal is achieved through low coherence optical interferometry. This requires the instantaneous processing and analysis of the signal, optically, to retrieve the relevant optical phase information hidden in the transmitted optical noise. This technology allows an authorised user to transmit encrypted information at a high data rate securely, while maintaining opaqueness to an unauthorised observer that data transmission is occurring. As the instantaneous optical field properties of the signals present in the system are essential to the optical encryption - decryption process, the system is inherently protected against electronic recording and advances in computational decryption algorithms. For organisations wishing to protect sensitive data and levels of communication activity these are highly desirable features.