The increasing demands for Internet of things (IoT) applications and the tremendous increase in the volume of IoT generated data bring novel challenges for the fifth generation (5G) network. Verticals such as e-Health, vehicle to everything (V2X) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) require solutions that can guarantee low latency, energy efficiency,massive connectivity, and high reliability. In particular, finding strong security mechanisms that satisfy the above is of central importance for bringing the IoT to life. \nIn this regards, employing physical layer security (PLS) methods could be greatly beneficial for IoT networks. While current security solutions rely on computational complexity, PLS is based on information theoretic proofs. By removing the need for computational power, PLS is ideally suited for resource constrained devices. In detail, PLS can ensure security using the inherit randomness already present in the physical channel. Promising schemes from the physical layer include physical unclonable functions (PUFs), which are seen as the hardware fingerprint of a device, and secret key generation (SKG) from wireless fading coefficients, which provide the wireless fingerprint of the communication channel between devices. \nThe present thesis develops several PLS-based techniques that pave the way for a new breed of latency-aware, lightweight, security protocols. In particular, the work proposes: i) a fast multi-factor authentication solution with verified security properties based on PUFs, proximity detection and SKG; ii) an authenticated encryption SKG approach that interweaves data transmission and key generation; and, iii) a set of countermeasures to man-in-the-middle and jamming attacks. Overall, PLS solutions show promising performance, especially in the context of IoT applications, therefore, the advances in this thesis should be considered for beyond-5G networks.
The increasing demands for Internet of things (IoT) applications and the tremendous increase in the volume of IoT generated data bring novel challenges for the fifth generation (5G) network. Verticals such as e-Health, vehicle to everything (V2X) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) require solutions that can guarantee low latency, energy efficiency,massive connectivity, and high reliability. In particular, finding strong security mechanisms that satisfy the above is of central importance for bringing the IoT to life. \nIn this regards, employing physical layer security (PLS) methods could be greatly beneficial for IoT networks. While current security solutions rely on computational complexity, PLS is based on information theoretic proofs. By removing the need for computational power, PLS is ideally suited for resource constrained devices. In detail, PLS can ensure security using the inherit randomness already present in the physical channel. Promising schemes from the physical layer include physical unclonable functions (PUFs), which are seen as the hardware fingerprint of a device, and secret key generation (SKG) from wireless fading coefficients, which provide the wireless fingerprint of the communication channel between devices. \nThe present thesis develops several PLS-based techniques that pave the way for a new breed of latency-aware, lightweight, security protocols. In particular, the work proposes: i) a fast multi-factor authentication solution with verified security properties based on PUFs, proximity detection and SKG; ii) an authenticated encryption SKG approach that interweaves data transmission and key generation; and, iii) a set of countermeasures to man-in-the-middle and jamming attacks. Overall, PLS solutions show promising performance, especially in the context of IoT applications, therefore, the advances in this thesis should be considered for beyond-5G networks.
The pervasiveness of commercial Internet of Things (IoT) around the globe is expected to reach significant levels with the upcoming sixth generation of mobile networks (6G). Throughout the past years, wireless standardization units worldwide have been prominently active in the deployment and performance optimization of such IoT networks and fusing them with current and futuristic cellular networks. Nonetheless, the openness of wireless transmissions and the forecasted overwhelm in connected devices will provoke unprecedented security leakages and vulnerabilities. In addition to the key targets of the 6G and IoT, it has been of paramount importance to cater to decent and lightweight security mechanisms in ultra-massively connected heterogeneous networks. Recently, significant efforts have been made to pave the way for the integration of physical layer security (PLS) in contemporary and futuristic networks. The primary motivation behind its deployment resides in its low complexity and ability to provide information-theoretic secure transmissions, which alleviates the complexity burden caused by implementing complex cryptographic schemes. This survey overviews the recent advancement in PLS techniques with a particular interest in its application to the Internet of Things (IoT). We review essentially recent PLS techniques aiming at ensuring message confidentiality along with node/message authentication and malicious nodes’ detection, where their corresponding application scenarios and underlying pros and cons are discussed. On top of that, we explore recent findings in the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies at the physical layer, such as non-orthogonal multiple-access, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, joint communication and sensing, and optical wireless/Terahertz communications in boosting confidentiality and authentication at the physical layer. Lastly, promising extensions and future directions are discussed based on the quantified pros and cons of each PLS category, opening up ways for timely research directions within the topic and current/future challenges faced by PLS.
In this chapter, the physical layer security (PLS) is interrogated for Internet of things (IoT) networks. As a result of their nature, IoT networks consist of a massive number of devices. These devices are produced in compact sizes and powered with small batteries rather than a grid network. Thus, they are able to have high portability but have low computational capability. Because of these features of IoT devices, the conventional encryption/decryption-based cryptographic security methods used in the classical wireless devices fail to satisfy the security requirements of IoT networks. The main reason for this is that the requirements of these security methods are too demanding for the processing power of IoT devices and stringent to manage when these devices are deployed in a massive number. Therefore, in this chapter, the possible advantages of the PLS in IoT networks are explained. In this manner, the IoT architecture is explained and common attack types in IoT networks are reviewed. Then, the unique features of IoT networks from the PLS perspective are presented along with the possible challenges on the way. A literature review is conducted to propound the current PLS techniques used in IoT networks and the future directions are signified. As a result of this chapter, it is expected that PLS techniques in IoT networks are clarified to the reader and their future applications are encouraged.
Short-packet communication is a key technology to support two emerging application scenarios in 5G and beyond 5G, massive machine type communication (mMTC) and ultra-reliable low-latency communication (uRLLC), which are introduced to satisfy the broader communication requirements of potential applications such as the Internet of Vehicles and industrial Internet of Things (IoT). The sharp increase in privacy data in various IoT applications has made security issues more prominent. The typical upper-layer encryption mechanism cannot fully address the security challenge considering the resource restriction of IoT terminals. In this article, we investigate secure short-packet communication from the perspective of physical layer security (PLS), which can be regarded as a promising security solution in 6G. Specifically, the state-of-the-art development of fundamental information theory of secure short-packet communications and corresponding performance evaluation criteria in fading channels are summarized. Then we review recent works, which investigate short-packet communication systems in different communication scenarios or with different security strategies from the perspective of PLS. Finally, we give future research directions and challenges.
Wireless communication systems are becoming increasingly important in our daily lives, especially with the rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT). Secure and reliable communication is essential for the correct functioning of critical applications and use cases such as healthcare, finance, transportation, and industrial automation. However, the growing number of connected devices introduces significant challenges to data security and privacy due to the open nature of wireless networks. While traditional encryption methods are effective, they can be resource-intensive and impractical for resource-constrained IoT environments. Physical layer security (PLS) provides a lightweight alternative by leveraging the inherent characteristics of wireless channels to generate symmetric secret keys without requiring third-party infrastructure. The PLS key generation process involves four main stages: channel sampling, quantization, reconciliation, and privacy amplification. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of existing quantization schemes, as this step plays a crucial role in determining the key generation rate (KGR) and key disagreement rate (KDR). Additionally, the paper classifies quantization methods as either lossless or lossy, providing insights into the trade-offs between security and efficiency.
Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly spreading and reaching a multitude of different domains, since the fifth generation (5G) wireless technologies are the key enablers of many IoT applications. It is hence apparent that the broadcast nature of IoT devices makes data security unprecedentedly critical. Compared with traditional cryptography algorithms, which cannot cater for the features of IoT devices characterized by the severe limits in terms of energy, computation and storage capabilities, physical layer security (PLS) has been regarded as a promising solution to facilitate secure communications by exploiting the intrinsic randomness of the wireless medium. However, most of previous works assumed that all devices are static, and the impact of mobility on PLS deserves further investigation. In this paper, applying two types of random mobile models, i.e., the models of Random WayPoint (RWP) and Random Direction (RD), we study the impact of mobility on PLS in a scenario with three types of wireless devices (i.e., a destination, multiple interferers and an eavesdropper). Specifically, we establish an analytical framework for secrecy transmission capacity (STC), a fundamental metric in the study of PLS, under RWP and RD models. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to derive STC and present the condition to achieve a positive STC with the consideration of mobility. We conclude that the RWP mobile destination can achieve a higher STC than that achievable in RD mobile and static scenarios, while RWP mobile eavesdropper is a challenging scenario to obtain a positive STC. Therefore, we propose an effective secrecy improvement strategy for the latter. Simulation validates the theoretical analyses.
The evolution from 5G to 6G wireless networks is driving a fundamental transformation in encryption technologies. While 5G networks primarily rely on advanced classical cryptography, including AES, ECC, and RSA, emerging applications such as IoT, e-healthcare, and ultra-reliable low-latency communications demand lightweight, hybrid, and context-aware security schemes. The advent of quantum computing poses significant threats to classical cryptosystems, motivating the integration of quantum-resistant security techniques, including post-quantum cryptography (PQC), quantum key distribution (QKD), and physical layer security (PLS) in 6G networks. This review synthesizes recent research on classical, hybrid, and quantum-resistant security techniques, highlighting the shift toward multi-layered and adaptive security frameworks. A comparative analysis of PLS in 5G and 6G illustrates its transition from a complementary role to a core security mechanism, especially in ultra-low-latency, massive connectivity, and heterogeneous environments. Finally, open research questions and standardization challenges are discussed, emphasizing the need for scalable, energy-efficient, and interoperable security solutions for next-generation wireless networks.