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International Conference on Computer Science and Network Technology (ICCSNT)

Optical Covert Communication Based on Microwave Photonic Filter

Zhanqi Liu, Huatao Zhu, Xin Zhang

Published Oct 21, 2023• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

Optical communication networks are easy to be eavesdropped by attackers, and traditional encryption algorithms have become more and more difficult to ensure the security of information transmission. Different from the traditional encryption algorithm, optical covert communication processes the signal at the physical layer, and improves the security and reliability of the system by hiding the optical signal in the public channel. Based on a typical microwave photonic filter, an optical covert communication scheme is proposed. On the one hand, the microwave photonic filter makes the scheme imperceptible. On the other hand, the randomness of complementary coding makes the scheme confidential. The feasibility of the scheme is analyzed theoretically, and the experimental results show that the covert channel is successfully transmitted over 50 km single-mode fiber.

DOI
10.1109/iccsnt58790.2023.10334569

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Optical communication networks are easy to be eavesdropped by attackers, and traditional encryption algorithms have become more and more difficult to ensure the security of information transmission. Different from the traditional encryption algorithm, optical covert communication processes the signal at the physical layer, and improves the security and reliability of the system by hiding the optical signal in the public channel. Based on a typical microwave photonic filter, an optical covert communication scheme is proposed. On the one hand, the microwave photonic filter makes the scheme imperceptible. On the other hand, the randomness of complementary coding makes the scheme confidential. The feasibility of the scheme is analyzed theoretically, and the experimental results show that the covert channel is successfully transmitted over 50 km single-mode fiber.
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.
Covert communication offers a method to transmit messages in such a way that the communication is undetected. Yet, unconditional secure covert communication has not yet been achieved. In this work, we report an experimental demonstration of covert communication that is provably secure against quantum adversaries. We deploy the protocol in a dense wavelength-division multiplexing infrastructure, where our system coexists with a co-propagating C-band classical channel over 10 km of optical fiber. The noise from the classical channel, generally a negative factor in quantum communication, allows us to perform covert quantum communication in a neighboring channel. We report the transmission of three different messages with varying levels of security. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of secure covert communication in a practical setting, which shall find immediate application in optical communication.
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.
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.
Covert communication offers a method to transmit messages in such a way that it is not possible to detect that the communication is happening at all. In this work, we report an experimental demonstration of covert communication that is provably secure against unbounded quantum adversaries. The covert communication is carried out over 10 km of optical fiber, addressing the challenges associated with transmission over metropolitan distances. We deploy the protocol in a dense wavelength-division multiplexing infrastructure, where our system has to coexist with a co-propagating C-band classical channel. The noise from the classical channel allows us to perform covert communication in a neighbouring channel. We perform an optimization of all protocol parameters and report the transmission of three different messages with varying levels of security. Our results showcase the feasibility of secure covert communication in a practical setting, with several possible future improvements from both theory and experiment.
Protecting the security of optical network is a major worldwide challenge. The conventional schemes for securing communications are based on cryptography at the MAC layer and its higher layers, which are facing a great threat with the development of quantum computers. Optical encryption is a promising way for building security on the physical layer of optical communications. In this work, we propose a novel optical encryption scheme for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) fiber-optic communication systems, by utilizing the private chaotic phase scrambling. Secure transmission of 50 Gbps signal over 50-km standard single-mode fiber is experimentally and numerically demonstrated. The results show that the WDM signal is efficiently encrypted into a noise-like signal, due to the spectral broadening effect of chaotic phase scrambling. Since the processes of encryption and decryption are totally implemented in the optical domain, the proposed scheme can encrypt the entire network traffic with low latency and high speed. Moreover, the proposed encryption scheme is compatible with the existing WDM optical networks, and only one pair of encryption and decryption devices is sufficient to encrypt all WDM channels, thus the scheme can be easily implemented at low hardware cost.