Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Allerton Conference on Communication, Control, and Computing

Key agreement over wireless fading channels with an active attacker

Lifeng Lai, Yingbin Liang, H. Vincent Poor

Published Sep 1, 2010• 9 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The problem of establishing a key over a wireless fading channel in the presence of an active attacker is considered. A key agreement protocol that combines the existing source model approach and channel model approach is adopted. First, the attacker's optimal attack strategy for this protocol is characterized. Then, the rate of the key that can be generated under this attack strategy is quantified. It is shown that, unlike the corresponding situation in wireline communications, it is possible to establish a key in the presence of an active attacker in wireless fading channels.

DOI
10.1109/allerton.2010.5707076

Related papers

A Unified Framework for Key Agreement Over Wireless Fading Channels

Lifeng Lai, Yingbin Liang, H. Vincent Poor

The problem of key generation over wireless fading channels is investigated. First, a joint source-channel approach that combines existing source and channel models for key agreement over wireless fading channels is developed. It is shown that, in general, to fully exploit the resources provided by time-varying channel gains, one needs to combine both the channel model, in which Alice sends a key to Bob over a wireless channel, and the source model, in which Alice and Bob generate a key by exploiting the correlated observations obtained from the wireless fading channel. Asymptotic analyses suggest that in the long coherence time regime, the channel model is asymptotically optimal. On the other hand, in the high power regime, the source model is asymptotically optimal. Second, the framework is extended to the scenario with an active attacker. Assuming that the goal of the attacker is to minimize the key rate that can be generated using the proposed protocol and the attacker will employ such an attack strategy, the attacker's optimal attack strategy is identified and the key rate under this attack model is characterized.

IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security•Dec 20, 2011•96 citations

Key generation through two-way relay channels under active attacks

Heng Zhou, Lauren M. Huie, Lifeng Lai

Most of the existing work on key generation from wireless fading channels requires a direct wireless link between legitimate users so that they can obtain correlated observations from the common wireless link. Furthermore, most of the existing work assumes that the attacker is passive. This paper studies the key generation problem in the two-way relay channel, in which there is no direct channel between the key generating terminals, under active attacks. We propose an effective key generation scheme. We also investigate the effects of the active attacker on the proposed key generation protocol. We characterize the optimal attacker's strategy that minimizes the key rate of the proposed scheme. Furthermore, we establish the maximal attacker's power under which our scheme can still achieve a non-zero key rate.

Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems and Computers (ACSSC)•Nov 1, 2013•2 citations

Secret Key Generation in the Two-Way Relay Channel With Active Attackers

Heng Zhou, Lauren M. Huie, Lifeng Lai

Most of the existing work on key generation from wireless fading channels requires a direct wireless link between legitimate users so that they can obtain correlated observations from the common wireless link. This paper studies the key generation problem in the two-way relay channel, in which there is no direct channel between the key generating terminals. We propose an effective key generation scheme that achieves a substantially larger key rate than that of a direct channel mimic approach. Unlike existing schemes, there is no need for the key generating terminals to obtain correlated observations in our scheme. We also investigate the effects of an active attacker on the proposed key generation protocol. We characterize the optimal attacker's strategy that minimizes the key rate of the proposed scheme. Furthermore, we establish the maximal attacker's power under which our scheme can still achieve a nonzero key rate.

IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security•Jan 31, 2014•61 citations

A unified framework for key agreement over wireless fading channels

Lifeng Lai, H. Vincent Poor

A framework that unifies existing source and channel models for key agreement over wireless fading channels is developed in this paper. It is shown that, in general, to fully exploit the resources provided by time-varying channel gains, one needs to combine both the channel model and the source model. Asymptotic analyses suggest that in the long coherence time regime, the channel model is asymptotically optimal. On the other hand, in the high SNR regime, the source model is asymptotically optimal.

IEEE Information Theory Workshop (ITW)•Jan 1, 2009•18 citations

A secret key establishment in frequency division duplex communication systems under active attacker

Ali M. Allam

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.

Security and Privacy•Sep 1, 2018•1 citation

Secret Key Generation under Active Attacks

Wenwen Tu, Lifeng Lai

Physical layer security, also called information theoretic security, is an emerging field which exploits physical layer properties of communication channels to secure future generations of communication systems. The approach to generating the secret key at the physical layer is proposed in the source model by the pioneer works. Different from the key generation process in the source model, the legitimate users typically observe no sources in advance, but they can obtain the sources via estimating the channel gain. This chapter discusses the problem of key generation under active attacks. It first reviews the basic scenarios for key generation in the presence of a passive adversary. Then, it considers the scenario where the attacker attacks the public discussion, reviews the relationship between the key rate obtained from the case with an active attacker with the corresponding key rate obtained from the passive case and discusses the condition which decides this relationship.

Chapman & Hall/CRC eBooks•Sep 1, 2017•0 citations
The problem of establishing a key over a wireless fading channel in the presence of an active attacker is considered. A key agreement protocol that combines the existing source model approach and channel model approach is adopted. First, the attacker's optimal attack strategy for this protocol is characterized. Then, the rate of the key that can be generated under this attack strategy is quantified. It is shown that, unlike the corresponding situation in wireline communications, it is possible to establish a key in the presence of an active attacker in wireless fading channels.
The problem of key generation over wireless fading channels is investigated. First, a joint source-channel approach that combines existing source and channel models for key agreement over wireless fading channels is developed. It is shown that, in general, to fully exploit the resources provided by time-varying channel gains, one needs to combine both the channel model, in which Alice sends a key to Bob over a wireless channel, and the source model, in which Alice and Bob generate a key by exploiting the correlated observations obtained from the wireless fading channel. Asymptotic analyses suggest that in the long coherence time regime, the channel model is asymptotically optimal. On the other hand, in the high power regime, the source model is asymptotically optimal. Second, the framework is extended to the scenario with an active attacker. Assuming that the goal of the attacker is to minimize the key rate that can be generated using the proposed protocol and the attacker will employ such an attack strategy, the attacker's optimal attack strategy is identified and the key rate under this attack model is characterized.
Most of the existing work on key generation from wireless fading channels requires a direct wireless link between legitimate users so that they can obtain correlated observations from the common wireless link. Furthermore, most of the existing work assumes that the attacker is passive. This paper studies the key generation problem in the two-way relay channel, in which there is no direct channel between the key generating terminals, under active attacks. We propose an effective key generation scheme. We also investigate the effects of the active attacker on the proposed key generation protocol. We characterize the optimal attacker's strategy that minimizes the key rate of the proposed scheme. Furthermore, we establish the maximal attacker's power under which our scheme can still achieve a non-zero key rate.
Most of the existing work on key generation from wireless fading channels requires a direct wireless link between legitimate users so that they can obtain correlated observations from the common wireless link. This paper studies the key generation problem in the two-way relay channel, in which there is no direct channel between the key generating terminals. We propose an effective key generation scheme that achieves a substantially larger key rate than that of a direct channel mimic approach. Unlike existing schemes, there is no need for the key generating terminals to obtain correlated observations in our scheme. We also investigate the effects of an active attacker on the proposed key generation protocol. We characterize the optimal attacker's strategy that minimizes the key rate of the proposed scheme. Furthermore, we establish the maximal attacker's power under which our scheme can still achieve a nonzero key rate.
A framework that unifies existing source and channel models for key agreement over wireless fading channels is developed in this paper. It is shown that, in general, to fully exploit the resources provided by time-varying channel gains, one needs to combine both the channel model and the source model. Asymptotic analyses suggest that in the long coherence time regime, the channel model is asymptotically optimal. On the other hand, in the high SNR regime, the source model is asymptotically optimal.
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.
Physical layer security, also called information theoretic security, is an emerging field which exploits physical layer properties of communication channels to secure future generations of communication systems. The approach to generating the secret key at the physical layer is proposed in the source model by the pioneer works. Different from the key generation process in the source model, the legitimate users typically observe no sources in advance, but they can obtain the sources via estimating the channel gain. This chapter discusses the problem of key generation under active attacks. It first reviews the basic scenarios for key generation in the presence of a passive adversary. Then, it considers the scenario where the attacker attacks the public discussion, reviews the relationship between the key rate obtained from the case with an active attacker with the corresponding key rate obtained from the passive case and discusses the condition which decides this relationship.