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

International Conference on Networking and Network Applications (NaNA)

Optimal Location Design for UAV Covert Communications with a Full-Duplex Receiver

Zewei Guo, Shuangrui Zhao, Jiandong Wang, Haipeng Lit, Yulong Shen

Published Dec 1, 2022• 12 citations
Publisher

Abstract

This paper focuses on a UAV covert communication system with a full-duplex receiver and investigates the location design of such system based on physical layer security technology. By employing the classical probability theory, we first conduct analysis on the optimal detection threshold and the minimum detection error probability of the warden Willie under a typical UAV covert communication model. With the consideration of the UAV mobility, we then derive closed-form expression to characterize the UAV's optimal location under the transmission outage constraint and the covertness constraint. Finally, we present extensive numerical results to illustrate our theoretical findings and to demonstrate the covert performance of the UAV system can be significantly improved by adopting our proposed optimal location design method.

DOI
10.1109/nana56854.2022.00014

Related papers

Covert Communication for Untrusted UAV-Assisted Wireless Systems

Chan Gao, Linying Tian, Dong Zheng

Wireless systems are of paramount importance for providing ubiquitous data transmission for smart cities. However, due to the broadcasting and openness of wireless channels, such systems face potential security challenges. UAV-assisted covert communication is a supporting technology for improving covert performances and has become a hot issue in the research of wireless communication security. This paper investigates the performance of joint covert and security communication in a tow-hop UAV-assisted wireless system, where a source transmits the covert message to a destination with the help of an untrusted UAV. We first design a transmission scheme such that use UAVs to assist in covert communications while ensuring the security of covert messages. Then, we develop a theoretical model to derive the expressions for the detection error probability of the warden and the covert and security rate, and the maximum covert and security rate is optimized by power control under a given covertness and security requirements. Finally, numerical results are provided to illustrate our theoretical analysis and the performance of covert and security communication in such systems.

arXiv:2403.09475•Mar 14, 2024•0 citations

Covert and Secure Communications in UAV-Aided Untrusted Relay Systems

Kai Yang, Shikai Shen, Bin Yang +5 more

This paper studies the covert and secure communications in a UAV-aided untrust relay system composed of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a base station (BS), a user and a warden (Willie). The UAV collects data from underground users, and then uploads it to the BS. The BS forwards it to the remote user. The UAV attempts to perform covert communication with the BS in the presence of Willie, while the untrust BS serving as a relay also intercepts the message from the UAV. To ensure the covert and secure communications, we first derive the average minimum detection error rate (DEP) at Willie’s location using the noise uncertainty model. We then formulate the average covert transmission rate maximization as an optimization problem with the constraints of covertness and security requirements. We further solve the optimization problem using a search method. Numerical results are provided to validate our theoretical analysis and also to illustrate the impact of power allocation factors on the covert and secure rate. Finally, we achieve maximization of the covert transmission rate in different scenarios.

International Conference on Networking and Network Applications (NaNA)•Aug 9, 2024•3 citations

Covert Communication for UAV-Assisted Systems with an Active Warden

Mingjie Yang, Linying Tian, Chan Gao +1 more

To address the inherent openness of wireless communication environments, covert communication has emerged as a promising approach to protect legitimate transmissions from unauthorized detection. This paper investigates a UAVassisted wireless covert communication system, where channel uncertainty is exploited to enable covert information transmission in the presence of active wardens acting simultaneously as jamming sources. We first model the indirect communication strategy between legitimate parties and characterize the detection behavior of an active warden. To achieve both covertness and communication efficiency, the transmit power of the devices and the hovering positions of UAVs are jointly optimized, subject to the dual constraints of maintaining a sufficient covert communication rate and ensuring a high detection error probability at the warden. Closed-form expressions for the wardens detection error probability and the achievable covert communication rate are derived. Furthermore, numerical optimization is employed to maximize the achievable rate under covertness constraints. Simulation results corroborate the theoretical analysis and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in enabling covert communication in jamming-assisted active warden scenarios.

International Conference on Satellite Internet (SAT-NET)•Oct 27, 2025•0 citations

UAV-Relayed Covert Communication Towards a Flying Warden

Xinying Chen, Min Sheng, Nan Zhao +2 more

Owing to the ever increasing of information privacy requirement, covert communication has gained more and more attention, whose effective range is limited by the trade-off between the covertness and the transmit power. Benefiting from the high mobility and easy deployment, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be utilized to expand the range of covert networks. Thus, we propose a UAV-relayed covert communication scheme with finite blocklength to maximize the effective transmission bits from the transmitter to the legitimate receiver against a flying warden. The transmitter adopts the maximum ratio transmission and the relay performs Gaussian signalling transmission to cause uncertainty at the warden. First, the optimal detection thresholds are derived at the warden towards the transmitter and the relay, respectively. Then, the hovering location of the warden is optimized to maximize the summation of relative entropies from the transmitter and the relay, which can greatly threaten the covertness. With this worst covert situation, the blocklength and transmit power at the transmitter and the relay are jointly optimized under the constraint of the end-to-end error detection probability to maximize the effective transmission rate from the transmitter to the legitimate receiver. Numerical results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed UAV-relayed covert communication scheme.

IEEE Transactions on Communications•Aug 20, 2021•121 citations

Finite-Blocklength Multi-Antenna Covert Communication Aided By A UAV Relay

Xinying Chen, Min Sheng, Nan Zhao +2 more

We propose a UAV-relayed covert communication scheme with finite blocklength to maximize the effective transmission rate from the transmitter to the legitimate receiver against a flying warden. The transmitter adopts the maximum ratio transmission and the relay performs Gaussian signaling transmission to cause uncertainty at the warden. First, the optimal detection thresholds are derived at the warden towards the transmitter and the relay, respectively. Then, the hovering location of the warden is optimized to maximize the summation of relative entropies from the transmitter and the relay, which can greatly threaten the covertness. With this worst covert situation, the blocklength and transmit power at the transmitter and the relay are jointly optimized under the constraint of the error detection probability to maximize the effective transmission rate from the transmitter to the legitimate receiver. Numerical results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed UAV-relayed covert communication scheme.

Globecom•Dec 1, 2021•8 citations

Covert and Secure Communication in Untrusted UAV-Assisted Wireless Systems

Chan Gao, Linying Tian, Qiuxia Zhao +2 more

Wireless systems are of paramount importance in enabling ubiquitous data transmission for various Internet of Things (IoT) applications. However, due to the broadcast nature and openness of wireless channels, such systems face inherent security challenges. Covert communication is an enabling technology for secure wireless communications while the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-assisted covert communication is particularly promising for enhancing covert performance. This paper investigates joint covert and secure communications in a two-hop UAV-assisted wireless system, where a source S transmits a covert message to a destination D with the help of an untrusted UAV, while being subject to detection by a warden W. We first design a covert transmission scheme for the proposed system with the considerations of both covert and secure constraints. We then develop theoretical models for the warden1detection error probability and the covert-and-secure rate (CSR) from S to D. Based on these models, we further explore the optimal power control for CSR maximization under both covertness and security constraints. Finally, numerical results are presented to validate the theoretical models and demonstrate the performance of covert and secure communications in the UAV-assisted system.

IEEE Internet of Things Journal•Jun 12, 2025•13 citations
This paper focuses on a UAV covert communication system with a full-duplex receiver and investigates the location design of such system based on physical layer security technology. By employing the classical probability theory, we first conduct analysis on the optimal detection threshold and the minimum detection error probability of the warden Willie under a typical UAV covert communication model. With the consideration of the UAV mobility, we then derive closed-form expression to characterize the UAV's optimal location under the transmission outage constraint and the covertness constraint. Finally, we present extensive numerical results to illustrate our theoretical findings and to demonstrate the covert performance of the UAV system can be significantly improved by adopting our proposed optimal location design method.
Wireless systems are of paramount importance for providing ubiquitous data transmission for smart cities. However, due to the broadcasting and openness of wireless channels, such systems face potential security challenges. UAV-assisted covert communication is a supporting technology for improving covert performances and has become a hot issue in the research of wireless communication security. This paper investigates the performance of joint covert and security communication in a tow-hop UAV-assisted wireless system, where a source transmits the covert message to a destination with the help of an untrusted UAV. We first design a transmission scheme such that use UAVs to assist in covert communications while ensuring the security of covert messages. Then, we develop a theoretical model to derive the expressions for the detection error probability of the warden and the covert and security rate, and the maximum covert and security rate is optimized by power control under a given covertness and security requirements. Finally, numerical results are provided to illustrate our theoretical analysis and the performance of covert and security communication in such systems.
This paper studies the covert and secure communications in a UAV-aided untrust relay system composed of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a base station (BS), a user and a warden (Willie). The UAV collects data from underground users, and then uploads it to the BS. The BS forwards it to the remote user. The UAV attempts to perform covert communication with the BS in the presence of Willie, while the untrust BS serving as a relay also intercepts the message from the UAV. To ensure the covert and secure communications, we first derive the average minimum detection error rate (DEP) at Willie’s location using the noise uncertainty model. We then formulate the average covert transmission rate maximization as an optimization problem with the constraints of covertness and security requirements. We further solve the optimization problem using a search method. Numerical results are provided to validate our theoretical analysis and also to illustrate the impact of power allocation factors on the covert and secure rate. Finally, we achieve maximization of the covert transmission rate in different scenarios.
To address the inherent openness of wireless communication environments, covert communication has emerged as a promising approach to protect legitimate transmissions from unauthorized detection. This paper investigates a UAVassisted wireless covert communication system, where channel uncertainty is exploited to enable covert information transmission in the presence of active wardens acting simultaneously as jamming sources. We first model the indirect communication strategy between legitimate parties and characterize the detection behavior of an active warden. To achieve both covertness and communication efficiency, the transmit power of the devices and the hovering positions of UAVs are jointly optimized, subject to the dual constraints of maintaining a sufficient covert communication rate and ensuring a high detection error probability at the warden. Closed-form expressions for the wardens detection error probability and the achievable covert communication rate are derived. Furthermore, numerical optimization is employed to maximize the achievable rate under covertness constraints. Simulation results corroborate the theoretical analysis and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in enabling covert communication in jamming-assisted active warden scenarios.
Owing to the ever increasing of information privacy requirement, covert communication has gained more and more attention, whose effective range is limited by the trade-off between the covertness and the transmit power. Benefiting from the high mobility and easy deployment, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be utilized to expand the range of covert networks. Thus, we propose a UAV-relayed covert communication scheme with finite blocklength to maximize the effective transmission bits from the transmitter to the legitimate receiver against a flying warden. The transmitter adopts the maximum ratio transmission and the relay performs Gaussian signalling transmission to cause uncertainty at the warden. First, the optimal detection thresholds are derived at the warden towards the transmitter and the relay, respectively. Then, the hovering location of the warden is optimized to maximize the summation of relative entropies from the transmitter and the relay, which can greatly threaten the covertness. With this worst covert situation, the blocklength and transmit power at the transmitter and the relay are jointly optimized under the constraint of the end-to-end error detection probability to maximize the effective transmission rate from the transmitter to the legitimate receiver. Numerical results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed UAV-relayed covert communication scheme.
We propose a UAV-relayed covert communication scheme with finite blocklength to maximize the effective transmission rate from the transmitter to the legitimate receiver against a flying warden. The transmitter adopts the maximum ratio transmission and the relay performs Gaussian signaling transmission to cause uncertainty at the warden. First, the optimal detection thresholds are derived at the warden towards the transmitter and the relay, respectively. Then, the hovering location of the warden is optimized to maximize the summation of relative entropies from the transmitter and the relay, which can greatly threaten the covertness. With this worst covert situation, the blocklength and transmit power at the transmitter and the relay are jointly optimized under the constraint of the error detection probability to maximize the effective transmission rate from the transmitter to the legitimate receiver. Numerical results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed UAV-relayed covert communication scheme.
Wireless systems are of paramount importance in enabling ubiquitous data transmission for various Internet of Things (IoT) applications. However, due to the broadcast nature and openness of wireless channels, such systems face inherent security challenges. Covert communication is an enabling technology for secure wireless communications while the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-assisted covert communication is particularly promising for enhancing covert performance. This paper investigates joint covert and secure communications in a two-hop UAV-assisted wireless system, where a source S transmits a covert message to a destination D with the help of an untrusted UAV, while being subject to detection by a warden W. We first design a covert transmission scheme for the proposed system with the considerations of both covert and secure constraints. We then develop theoretical models for the warden1detection error probability and the covert-and-secure rate (CSR) from S to D. Based on these models, we further explore the optimal power control for CSR maximization under both covertness and security constraints. Finally, numerical results are presented to validate the theoretical models and demonstrate the performance of covert and secure communications in the UAV-assisted system.