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IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology

Relay-Aided Physical Layer Security in Multi-User VLC With Single Light Source Using Cooperative Jamming

Kun Wu, Yuhan Dong, Xinchun Yu, Jian Song, Xiao-Ping Steven Zhang

Published May 2, 2025• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Traditional physical layer security (PLS) schemes for multi-user visible light communication (MuVLC) are designed with multiple light sources, rendering them inapplicable to MuVLC with single light source. To address this limitation, we propose an innovative relay-aided PLS scheme based on cooperative jamming for MuVLC with single light source. First, we randomly select parts of relays for cooperative jamming, modeling their locations as a Poisson point process (PPP). Then, a jamming signal introduced through these selected relays significantly decreases the signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio of the randomly located eavesdroppers, thereby increasing the security capacity. By modeling the eavesdropper locations as another independent PPP, we analyze the security performance by deriving closed-form expressions for the cumulative distribution function of security capacity, security outage probability, its lower and upper bounds, and ergodic security capacity. These theoretical expressions are verified via Monte Carlo simulations. Numerical results show that our scheme achieves high-level communication security. Furthermore, increasing relay density, decreasing eavesdropper density, reducing target security capacity, or lowering relay plane height can effectively reduce security outage probability, offering valuable insights for designing secure MuVLC with single light source.

DOI
10.1109/tvt.2025.3566084

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Traditional physical layer security (PLS) schemes for multi-user visible light communication (MuVLC) are designed with multiple light sources, rendering them inapplicable to MuVLC with single light source. To address this limitation, we propose an innovative relay-aided PLS scheme based on cooperative jamming for MuVLC with single light source. First, we randomly select parts of relays for cooperative jamming, modeling their locations as a Poisson point process (PPP). Then, a jamming signal introduced through these selected relays significantly decreases the signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio of the randomly located eavesdroppers, thereby increasing the security capacity. By modeling the eavesdropper locations as another independent PPP, we analyze the security performance by deriving closed-form expressions for the cumulative distribution function of security capacity, security outage probability, its lower and upper bounds, and ergodic security capacity. These theoretical expressions are verified via Monte Carlo simulations. Numerical results show that our scheme achieves high-level communication security. Furthermore, increasing relay density, decreasing eavesdropper density, reducing target security capacity, or lowering relay plane height can effectively reduce security outage probability, offering valuable insights for designing secure MuVLC with single light source.
In this paper, we propose an innovative relay-aided physical layer security scheme leveraging cooperative transmission and jamming that operates effectively in time-division-multiple-access-based multi-user visible light communication (MuVLC) systems with obstructed communication links. First, to circumvent obstacles between the light source (LS) and legal receivers, we utilize a transmission relay (TR) to forward information signals from the LS to the receiver plane. Subsequently, to ensure communication security, we select a jamming relay to enlarge the channel capacity gap between eavesdroppers and legal receivers through cooperative jamming. Using stochastic geometry, we derive closed-form expressions for key performance metrics, including the cumulative distribution function of secrecy capacity, security outage probability, and their lower and upper bounds, both with and without relay cooperation. To further enhance system security, we introduce a disk-shaped security-protected zone around the TR. All analytical expressions are numerically verified through Monte Carlo simulations, serving as benchmarks to evaluate security performance. Numerical results confirm that our proposed scheme can ensure continuous signal reception and high-level security. Furthermore, while relay cooperation modestly enhances system security, the introduction of a security-protected zone around the TR yields substantial security improvement, which offers practical insights for designing secure time-division-multiple-access-based MuVLC where communication links are obstructed.
The risk of information leakage increases when the relay technology is introduced to extend the communication range and improve the quality of communication services of cell-edge users in visible light communication (VLC) systems. To evaluate these security risks, physical layer security (PLS) performance for decode-and-forward (DF) relay-aided VLC system is investigated in this paper. Specifically, the theoretical expressions of the upper and lower bounds of the security outage probability (SOP) for the DF relay-aided VLC system under the amplitude constraint are obtained based on a stochastic geometry analysis method. Monte Carlo simulation validates the correctness of the derived theoretical expressions of the upper and lower bounds of the SOP. Moreover, simulation results show that the security outage performance of the DF relay-aided VLC system is deteriorated compared with the non-relay VLC system. Furthermore, the influences of the eavesdroppers' distribution density, the radiation radius of LED source, the radiation radius and deployment height of the relay on the SOP have been investigated. Last but not least, the optimal deployment height of the relay can be determined for achieving the optimum security outage performance. These parameters can effectively guide the design of the secure relay-aided VLC system.
A visible light communication (VLC) system with an improved noise model applied to physical layer security (PLS) is investigated, where secure beamforming signals with superposition coding are used. In the improved model, the output signal follows Gaussian distribution, but its variance is signal-dependent. Two different methods are proposed to obtain lower and upper bounds on the secrecy rate of the strong user for direct transmission. Under some constraints, closed-form expressions of the lower and upper bounds on secrecy rate regions for various (trusted cooperative half-duplex) relaying schemes are derived. Moreover, the scenarios of blockage/outside coverage are included, and the relevant security performances are discussed. Numerical results show that the lower and upper bounds on secrecy rate regions are tight enough, and the cooperative jamming is superior over other relaying schemes.
In this paper, we study the physical-layer security in a 3-D multiuser visible light communication (VLC) network. The locations of access points (APs) and mobile users are modeled as two 2-D, independent and homogeneous Poisson point processes at distinct heights. Using mathematical tools from stochastic geometry, we provide a new analytical framework to characterize the secrecy performance in multiuser VLC networks. Closed-form results for the outage probability and the ergodic secrecy rate are derived for networks without AP cooperation. Considering the cooperation among APs, we give tight lower and upper bounds on the secrecy outage probability and the ergodic secrecy rate. To further enhance the secrecy performance at the legitimate user, a disk-shaped secrecy protected zone is implemented in the vicinity of the transmit AP. Based on the obtained results, it is shown that cooperating neighboring APs in a multiuser VLC network can bring performance gains on the secrecy rate, but only to a limited extent. We also show that building an eavesdropper-free protected zone around the AP significantly improves the secrecy performance of legitimate users, which appears to be a promising solution for the design of multiuser VLC networks with high security requirements.
We propose a novel relay-aided physical layer security scheme for multi-eavesdropper visible light communication. When eavesdroppers outnumber relays, we strategically position relays to prioritize blocking line-of-sight (LoS) paths from the light source to the subset of eavesdroppers with stronger interception capabilities, ingeniously transforming potential limitations of obstacles into security advantages. Subsequently, relays are designed to broadcast jamming signals, with beamforming vector optimized to minimize the sum signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio at remaining eavesdroppers. Conversely, we solely determine relay placement to obstruct all LoS paths from the light source to eavesdroppers. Numerical results demonstrate that our scheme significantly outperforms traditional schemes in security capacity.
Optical wireless communications (OWC) and its potential to solve physical layer security (PLS) issues are becoming important research areas in 6G communications systems. In this paper, an overview of PLS in visible light communications (VLC), is presented. Then, two new PLS techniques based on generalized space shift keying (GSSK) modulation with spatial constellation design (SCD) and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) cooperative relaying are introduced. In the first technique, the PLS of the system is enhanced by the appropriate selection of a precoding matrix for randomly activated light emitting diodes (LEDs). With the aid of a legitimate user's (Bob's) channel state information (CSI) at the transmitter (CSIT), the bit error ratio (BER) of Bob is minimized while the BER performance of the potential eavesdroppers (Eves) is significantly degraded. In the second technique, superposition coding with uniform signaling is used at the transmitter and relays. The design of secure beamforming vectors at the relay nodes along with NOMA techniques is used to enhance PLS in a VLC system. Insights gained from the improved security levels of the proposed techniques are used to discuss how PLS can be further improved in future generation communication systems by using VLC.