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IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security

Secret Key Generation Using Chaotic Signals Over Frequency Selective Fading Channels

Mohamed F. Haroun, Thomas Aaron Gulliver

Published Apr 30, 2015• 37 citations
Publisher

Abstract

This paper presents a practical key generation algorithm based on the reciprocity of wireless fading channels. A broadband chaotic signal is employed for transmission so that the fading is frequency selective. In this case, signal components in the frequency domain spaced greater than the coherence bandwidth of the channel can be considered uncorrelated. The proposed algorithm exploits this property to generate a unique shared key between two parties. The nonperiodicity of the chaotic signal provides a unique signal for key generation, which can be used even with static fading channels. The proposed approach is robust to timing differences between the parties because the frequency spectrum of the signals is employed. A technique for information reconciliation is presented which does not reveal any information about the values used to generate the key. The randomness of the key is confirmed, and the effects of additive white Gaussian noise and timing differences on the performance of the algorithm are examined.

DOI
10.1109/tifs.2015.2428211

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This paper presents a practical key generation algorithm based on the reciprocity of wireless fading channels. A broadband chaotic signal is employed for transmission so that the fading is frequency selective. In this case, signal components in the frequency domain spaced greater than the coherence bandwidth of the channel can be considered uncorrelated. The proposed algorithm exploits this property to generate a unique shared key between two parties. The nonperiodicity of the chaotic signal provides a unique signal for key generation, which can be used even with static fading channels. The proposed approach is robust to timing differences between the parties because the frequency spectrum of the signals is employed. A technique for information reconciliation is presented which does not reveal any information about the values used to generate the key. The randomness of the key is confirmed, and the effects of additive white Gaussian noise and timing differences on the performance of the algorithm are examined.
Wireless channel reciprocity can be successfully exploited as a common source of randomness for the generation of a secret key by two legitimate users willing to achieve confidential communications over a public channel. This paper presents an analytical framework to investigate the theoretical limits of secret-key generation when wireless multi-dimensional Gaussian channels are used as source of randomness. The intrinsic secrecy content of wide-sense stationary wireless channels in frequency, time and spatial domains is derived through asymptotic analysis as the number of observations in a given domain tends to infinity. Some significant case studies are presented where single and multiple antenna eavesdroppers are considered. In the numerical results, the role of signal-to-noise ratio, spatial correlation, frequency and time selectivity is investigated.
Dynamic secret key generation from wireless channel characteristics is a promising technique for physical layer security. One of the important issues in this field is extending the secret key’s length while preserving its uniformity and randomness. This paper proposes a key generation method based on time-varying and the reciprocity of wireless channels for Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) wireless communication systems. In the proposed technique, the complex impulse response (CIR) of the estimated channel state information (CSI) is extracted, and a quantization algorithm is designed to convert the maximum peaks of the CIR into secret key bits. The effectiveness of the proposed key generation technique is assessed in terms of the randomness of the produced key bits with different key lengths by using a statistical test suite of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The proposed technique is employed in the MIMO-OFDM systems with different modulation schemes through Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) and Rayleigh channels. The simulation results show that the secret keys with various key lengths generated from the proposed technique for the MIMO-OFDM systems guarantee randomness. Moreover, the proposed CSI-based key generation technique provides better effectiveness in terms of security when compared to some existing techniques.
One effective way of generating and distributing secret keys for secure communication is to exploit the randomness of wireless channels. Since a potential eavesdropper has a different propagation channel than two legitimate users, it can be used to generate unique and secure keys. After reciprocal channel sounding, a frequency-selective channel can be quantised to produce the secret keys. Due to different sampling times at the two legitimate devices, the phase of the frequency response will not be equal and hence compromise the secret key generation. In this paper, we show how to overcome this problem and verify the results through both simulations and hardware measurements. We also compare scalar and vector quantisation, and show how the latter can be designed to be robust to synchronisation offsets.
Methods to generate private keys based on wireless channel characteristics have been proposed as an alternative to standard key-management schemes.In this paper, we discuss past work in the field and offer a generalized scheme for the generation of private keys using uncorrelated channels in multiple domains.Proposed cognitive enhancements measure channel coherence, to dynamically change transmission and reception parameters as well as estimate private key strength and expiration time.We evaluate a proof-of-concept implementation of this system in software using a channel model that provides variation in multiple domains. I. INTRODUCTIONFor a wireless communications link to be secure, it must provide data confidentiality and integrity during transmission.The principal method through which this is achieved is the use of cryptography, of which there are generally two types, public key [1] and private key [2].Public-key cryptography is a method for secret communication between two parties without the requirement of an initial exchange of secret keys.It employs a pair of keys, one private, which is held secret, and one public, which is distributed.Messages are encrypted with the recipient's public key and decrypted with the recipient's corresponding private key.Public-key cryptography is thus relatively unencumbered with key-exchange difficulties and key-interception vulnerabilities, however it is computationally intensive.Private-key cryptography is a method for secret communication between two parties that requires an initial exchange of a single shared secret key.Messages are encrypted by the sender and decrypted by the recipient using this same shared key.Private-key cryptography is less computationally intensive than public-key cryptography, however key distribution and management are problematic.Key distribution risks that the secret key will be intercepted during transmission.Key management requires the generation and transport of a different key for each communicating party [3].
Most of the current research on generating a secret key from wireless fading channels relies on the channel reciprocity feature of the time division duplex link between legitimate entities so that they can acquire related information from the joint wireless connection. This paper investigates the challenge of generating a shared secret key in frequency division duplex communication systems, in which there is no reciprocity between the two nodes, in the presence of an active opponent. We suggest a key generation algorithm that depends on the product of two fading coefficients. We additionally look at the effects of an interfering adversary on the suggested key establishment scheme and solve the problem of evaluating the key rate for a scheme depending on virtual channel gain. We illustrate an adversary model using an optimal attacking strategy to minimize the rate of generating a shared secret key for our suggested algorithm. Additionally, we identify the suitable channel conditions for the non‐zero rate in the existence of an interfering adversary using simulation results.
Wireless channel reciprocity can be exploited by two users willing to achieve confidential communications over a public channel as a common source of randomness for the generation of a secret key. This paper presents an analytical framework for investigating the amount of secret information that characterizes wireless multi-dimensional Gaussian channels used as source of randomness. The intrinsic secrecy content of wide-sense stationary wireless channels in frequency, time and spatial domains is derived through asymptotic analysis. Some significant case studies are presented, where single and multiple antenna eavesdroppers are considered. In the numerical results, the role of signal-to-noise ratio, spatial correlation, frequency and time selectivity, sampling frequency and imperfect channel reciprocity is investigated.