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In this paper we propose a method for defending against an eavesdropper that uses a Deep Neural Network (DNN) for learning the modulation of wireless communication signals. Our method is based on manipulating the emitted waveform with the aid of a continuous time frequency-modulated (FM) obfuscating signal that is mixed with the modulated data. The resulting waveform allows a legitimate receiver (LRx) to demodulate the data but it increases the test error of a pre-trained or adversarially-trained DNN classifier at the eavesdropper. The scheme works for analog modulation and digital single carrier and multi carrier orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveforms, while it can implemented in frame-based wireless protocols. The results indicate that careful selection of the parameters of the obfuscating waveform can drop classification performance at the eavesdropper to less than 10% in AWGN and fading channels with no performance loss at the LRx., Comment: To appear in IEEE MILCOM 2023

Joint RADAR communication (JRC) systems that use orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) can be compromised by an adversary that re-produces the received OFDM signal creating thus false RADAR targets. This paper presents a set of algorithms that can be deployed at the JRC system and can detect the presence of false targets. The presence of a false target is detected depending on whether there is residual carrier frequency offset (CFO) beyond Doppler in the received signal, with a Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test (GLRT). To evaluate the performance of our approach we measure the detection probability versus the false alarm rate through simulation for different system configurations of an IEEE 802.11-based JRC system., Comment: Accepted in IEEE RadarConf 2023

Passive emitter tracking (PET) algorithms can estimate both the range and Doppler of a wireless emitter when it uses orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). In this paper we are interested to prevent this from happening by an unauthorized receiver (URx). To accomplish that we introduce in the transmitted signal a \textit{spoofing signal} that varies across subcarriers and successive OFDM symbols. With this technique the emitter is not only able to spoof its actual range and Doppler (allowing covert communication in terms of these two parameters), but is also capable of producing additional false emitter signatures to further confuse the URx. To evaluate the performance of our approach we calculate the range-Doppler response at the URx for different system configurations of an 802.11-based system., Comment: Accepted in IEEE RadarConf 2023

When wireless communication signals impinge on a moving human they are affected by micro-Doppler. A passive receiver of the resulting signals can calculate the spectrogram that produces different signatures depending on the human activity. This constitutes a significant privacy breach when the human is unaware of it. This paper presents a methodology for preventing this when we want to do so by injecting into the transmitted signal frequency variations that obfuscate the micro-Doppler signature. We assume a system that uses orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and a passive receiver that estimates the spectrogram based on the instantaneous channel state information (CSI). We analyze the impact of our approach on the received signal and we propose two strategies that do not affect the demodulation of the digital communication signal at the intended receiver. To evaluate the performance of our approach we use an IEEE 802.11-based OFDM system and realistic human signal reflection models.

In this paper we present a method that prevents an unauthorized receiver (URx) from correctly estimating the Doppler shift present in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) wireless signal. To prevent this estimation we propose to insert an artificial frequency variation in the transmitted signal that mimics a transmitter (Tx) movement with a spoofed/fake speed. This spoofed Doppler shift does not affect data demodulation since it can be compensated at the legitimate receiver (LRx). We evaluate our method for its efficacy through simulations and we show that it offers a reliable way to protect one key element of the privacy of a wireless source, namely the speed of the transmitter.

Bandwidth forecasting in Mobile Broadband (MBB) networks is a challenging task, particularly when coupled with a degree of mobility. In this work, we introduce HINDSIGHT++, an open-source R-based framework for bandwidth forecasting experimentation in MBB networks with Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) networks. We instrument HINDSIGHT++ following an Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) paradigm to first, alleviate the burden of data preprocessing, and second, enhance performance related aspects. We primarily focus on bandwidth forecasting for Fifth Generation (5G) networks. In particular, we leverage 5Gophers, the first open-source attempt to measure network performance on operational 5G networks in the US. We further explore the LSTM performance boundaries on Fourth Generation (4G) commercial settings using NYU-METS, an open-source dataset comprising of hundreds of bandwidth traces spanning different mobility scenarios. Our study aims to investigate the impact of hyperparameter optimization on achieving state-of-the-art performance and beyond. Results highlight its significance under 5G scenarios showing an average Mean Absolute Error (MAE) decrease of near 30% when compared to prior state-of-the-art values. Due to its universal design, we argue that HINDSIGHT++ can serve as a handy software tool for a multitude of applications in other scientific fields.

In this paper we are interested to learn from a wireless digitally modulated signal the number of antennas that the transmitter (Tx) of this signal uses, as well as its specific modulation scheme (from phase-shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM)). Formally, these are modulation and antenna classification problems. We examine the problems with data-driven machine learning (ML)-based techniques. The two sub-problems of modulation and number of transmitter antenna classification are initially examined independently for a variety for system parameters, namely the SNR, number of receiver (Rx) antennas, and classification algorithms. Then we consider the joint problem where we follow two approaches. One, where the sub-problems are solved independently and in parallel, and one where the antenna classifier waits on the result of the modulation classifier. The two proposed schemes do not require any knowledge/details of the used modulation schemes and the way the Tx antennas are used (spatial multiplexing, space-time codes,etc.) as it is fully data-driven and not decision-theoretic based. The results of our approach are characterized by high classification accuracy and they pave the way for more ML-based data-driven techniques that reveal more characteristics of the Tx.

In this paper, we are concerned with the problem of estimating the speed of an RF jammer that moves towards a group/platoon of moving wireless communicating nodes. In our system model, the group of nodes receives an information signal from a master node, that they want to decode, while the Radio Frequency (RF) jammer desires to disrupt this communication as it approaches them. For this system model, we propose first a transmission scheme where the master node remains silent for a time period while it transmits in a subsequent slot. Second, we develop a joint data and jamming estimation algorithm that uses Linear Minimum Mean Square Error (LMMSE) estimation. We develop analytical closed-form expressions that characterize the Mean Square Error (MSE) of the data and jamming signal estimates. Third, we propose a cooperative jammer speed estimation algorithm based on the jamming signal estimates at each node of the network. Our numerical and simulation results for different system configurations prove the ability of our overall system to estimate with high accuracy and the RF jamming signals and the speed of the jammer.

Wireless communications are vulnerable against radio frequency (RF) jamming which might be caused either intentionally or unintentionally. A particular subset of wireless networks, vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANET) which incorporate a series of safety-critical applications, may be a potential target of RF jamming with detrimental safety effects. To ensure secure communication and defend it against this type of attacks, an accurate detection scheme must be adopted. In this paper we introduce a detection scheme that is based on supervised learning. The machine-learning algorithms, KNearest Neighbors (KNN) and Random Forests (RF), utilize a series of features among which is the metric of the variations of relative speed (VRS) between the jammer and the receiver that is passively estimated from the combined value of the useful and the jamming signal at the receiver. To the best of our knowledge, this metric has never been utilized before in a machine-learning detection scheme in the literature. Through offline training and the proposed KNN-VRS, RF-VRS classification algorithms, we are able to efficiently detect various cases of Denial of Service Attacks (DoS) jamming attacks, differentiate them from cases of interference as well as foresee a potential danger successfully and act accordingly.

Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANETs) aim at enhancing road safety and providing a comfortable driving environment by delivering early warning and infotainment messages to the drivers. Jamming attacks, however, pose a significant threat to their performance. In this paper, we propose a novel Relative Speed Estimation Algorithm (RSEA) of a moving interfering vehicle that approaches a Transmitter ($Tx$) - Receiver ($Rx$) pair, that interferes with their Radio Frequency (RF) communication by conducting a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. Our scheme is completely sensorless and passive and uses a pilot-based received signal without hardware or computational cost in order to, firstly, estimate the combined channel between the transmitter - receiver and jammer - receiver and secondly, to estimate the jamming signal and the relative speed between the jammer - receiver using the RF Doppler shift. Moreover, the relative speed metric exploits the Angle of Projection (AOP) of the speed vector of the jammer in the axis of its motion in order to form a two-dimensional representation of the geographical area. This approach can effectively be applied both for a jamming signal completely unknown to the receiver and for a jamming signal partly known to the receiver. Our speed estimator method is proven to have quite accurate performance, with a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) value of approximately $10\%$ compared to the optimal zero MAE value under different jamming attack scenarios., Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures

One of the barriers to adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) is the anxiety around the limited driving range. Recent proposals have explored charging EVs on the move, using dynamic wireless charging which enables power exchange between the vehicle and the grid while the vehicle is moving. In this article, we focus on the intelligent routing of EVs in need of charging so that they can make most efficient use of the so-called {\it Mobile Energy Disseminators} (MEDs) which operates as mobile charging stations. We present a method for routing EVs around MEDs on the road network, which is based on constraint logic programming and optimisation using a graph-based shortest path algorithm. The proposed method exploits Inter-Vehicle (IVC) communications in order to eco-route electric vehicles. We argue that combining modern communications between vehicles and state of the art technologies on energy transfer, the driving range of EVs can be extended without the need for larger batteries or overtly costly infrastructure. We present extensive simulations in city conditions that show the driving range and consequently the overall travel time of electric vehicles is improved with intelligent routing in the presence of MEDs., Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures

This paper presents a comprehensive survey of existing authentication and privacy-preserving schemes for 4G and 5G cellular networks. We start by providing an overview of existing surveys that deal with 4G and 5G communications, applications, standardization, and security. Then, we give a classification of threat models in 4G and 5G cellular networks in four categories, including, attacks against privacy, attacks against integrity, attacks against availability, and attacks against authentication. We also provide a classification of countermeasures into three types of categories, including, cryptography methods, humans factors, and intrusion detection methods. The countermeasures and informal and formal security analysis techniques used by the authentication and privacy preserving schemes are summarized in form of tables. Based on the categorization of the authentication and privacy models, we classify these schemes in seven types, including, handover authentication with privacy, mutual authentication with privacy, RFID authentication with privacy, deniable authentication with privacy, authentication with mutual anonymity, authentication and key agreement with privacy, and three-factor authentication with privacy. In addition, we provide a taxonomy and comparison of authentication and privacy-preserving schemes for 4G and 5G cellular networks in form of tables. Based on the current survey, several recommendations for further research are discussed at the end of this paper., Comment: 24 pages, 14 figures

In this paper we provide a detailed description of Reed-Solomon (RS) codes, the most important algorithms for decoding them, and their use in concatenated coding systems for space applications. In the current literature there is scattered information regarding the bit-level implementation of such codes for either space systems or any other type of application. Consequently, we start with a general overview of the channel coding systems used in space communications and then we focus in the finest details. We first present a detailed description of the required algebra of RS codes with detailed examples. Next, the steps of the encoding and decoding algorithms are described with detail and again with additional examples. Next, we focus on a particularly important class of concatenated encoders/decoders namely the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) concatenated coding system that uses RS as the outer code, and a convolutional inner code. Finally, we perform a thorough performance evaluation of the presented codes under the AWGN channel model.

In this paper we consider the problem of adaptive video streaming over an LTE-A network that utilizes Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) which is an instance of LTE Unlicensed. With LTE Unlicensed users of the LTE-A network opportunisti- cally access radio resources from unlicensed and licensed carriers through Carrier Aggregation (CA). Our objective is to select the highest possible video quality for each LTE-A user while also try to deliver video data in time for playback, and thus avoid buffer under-run events that deteriorate viewing experience. However, the unpredictable nature of the wireless channel, as well as the unknown utilization of the unlicensed carrier by other unlicensed users, result in a challenging optimization problem. We first focus on developing an accurate system model of the adaptive streaming system, LTE-A, and the stochastic availability of unlicensed resources. Then, the formulated problem is solved in two stages: First, we calculate a proportionally fair video quality for each user, and second we execute resource allocation on a shorter time scale compatible with LTE-A. We compare our framework with the typical proportional fair scheduler as well as a state-of-the-art LTE-A adaptive video streaming framework in terms of average segment quality and number of buffer under- run events. Results show that the proposed quality selection and scheduling algorithms, not only achieve higher video segment quality in most cases, but also minimize the amount and duration of video freezes as a result of buffer under-run events.

In this paper we present a multi-user cooperative protocol for wireless networks. Two sources transmit simultaneously their information blocks and relays employ opportunistically successive interference cancellation (SIC) in an effort to decode them. An adaptive decode/amplify-and-forward scheme is applied at the relays to the decoded blocks or their sufficient statistic if decoding fails. The main feature of the protocol is that SIC is exploited in a network since more opportunities arise for each block to be decoded as the number of used relays NRU is increased. This feature leads to benefits in terms of diversity and multiplexing gains that are proven with the help of an analytical outage model and a diversity-multiplexing tradeoff (DMT) analysis. The performance improvements are achieved without any network synchronization and coordination. In the final part of this work the closed-form outage probability model is used by a novel approach for offline pre-selection of the NRU relays, that have the best SIC performance, from a larger number of NR nodes. The analytical results are corroborated with extensive simulations, while the protocol is compared with orthogonal and multi-user protocols reported in the literature., Comment: in IEEE Transactions on Communications, 2015

Heterogenous cellular networks (HCN) introduce small cells within the transmission range of a macrocell. For the efficient operation of HCNs it is essential that the high power macrocell shuts off its transmissions for an appropriate amount of time in order for the low power small cells to transmit. This is a mechanism that allows time-domain resource partitioning (TDRP) and is critical to be optimized for maximizing the throughput of the complete HCN. In this paper, we investigate video communication in HCNs when TDRP is employed. After defining a detailed system model for video streaming in such a HCN, we consider the problem of maximizing the experienced video quality at all the users, by jointly optimizing the TDRP for the HCN, the rate allocated to each specific user, and the selected video quality transmitted to a user. The NP-hard problem is solved with a primal-dual approximation algorithm that decomposes the problem into simpler subproblems, making them amenable to fast well-known solution algorithms. Consequently, the calculated solution can be enforced in the time scale of real-life video streaming sessions. This last observation motivates the enhancement of the proposed framework to support video delivery with dynamic adaptive streaming over HTTP (DASH). Our extensive simulation results demonstrate clearly the need for our holistic approach for improving the video quality and playback performance of the video streaming users in HCNs., Comment: IEEE Transactions on Multimedia, Vol. 17, Issue 5, March 2015

In this paper we are concerned with the problem of data forwarding from a wireless body area network (WBAN) to a gateway when body shadowing affects the ability of WBAN nodes to communicate with the gateway. To solve this problem we present a new WBAN architecture that uses two communication technologies. One network is formed between on-body nodes, and is realized with capacitive body-coupled communication (BCC), while an IEEE 802.15.4 radio frequency (RF) network is used for forwarding data to the gateway. WBAN nodes that have blocked RF links due to body shadowing forward their data through the BCC link to a node that acts as a relay and has an active RF connection. For this architecture we design a network layer protocol that manages the two communication technologies and is responsible for relay selection and data forwarding. Next, we develop analytical performance models of the medium access control (MAC) protocols of the two independent communication links in order to be used for driving the decisions of the previous algorithms. Finally, the analytical models are used for further optimizing energy and delay efficiency. We test our system under different configurations first by performing simulations and next by using real RF traces.

In this letter we investigate link scheduling algorithms for throughput maximization in multicast wireless networks. According to our system model, each source node transmits to a multicast group that resides one hop away. We adopt the physical interference model to reflect the aggregate signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) at each node of the multicast group. We present an ILP formulation of the aforementioned problem. The basic feature of the problem formulation is that it decomposes the single multicast session into the corresponding point-to-point links. The rationale is that a solution algorithm has more flexibility regarding the scheduling options for individual nodes. The extended MILP problem that also considers power control is solved with LP relaxation. Performance results for both the ILP and MILP problems are obtained for different traffic loads and different number of nodes per multicast group.

In this paper we propose a new cooperative packet transmission scheme that allows independent sources to superimpose over-the-air their packet transmissions. Relay nodes are used and cooperative diversity is combined with distributed space-time block coding (STBC). With the proposed scheme the participating relays create a ST code for the over-the-air superimposed symbols that are received locally and without proceeding to any decoding step beforehand. The advantage of the proposed scheme is that communication is completed in fewer transmission slots because of the concurrent packet transmissions, while the diversity benefit from the use of the STBC results in higher decoding performance. The proposed scheme does not depend on the STBC that is applied at the relays. Simulation results reveal significant throughput benefits even in the low SNR regime., Comment: ICC 2013

In this work we are concerned with the problem of link scheduling for throughput maximization in wireless networks that employ a cooperative amplify and forward (AF) protocol. To address this problem first we define the signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR) expression for the complete cooperative AF-based transmission. Next, we formulate the problem of link scheduling as a mixed integer linear program (MILP) that uses as a constraint the developed SINR expression. The proposed formulation is motivated by the observation that the aggregate interference that affects a single cooperative transmission can be decomposed into two separate SINR constraints. Results for the optimal solution and a polynomial time approximation algorithm are also presented., Comment: Submitted

In this paper, we propose a system for wireless video transmission with a wireless physical layer (PHY) that supports cooperative forwarding of interfered/superimposed packets. Our system model considers multiple and independent unicast transmissions between network nodes while a number of them serve as relays of the interfered/superimposed signals. For this new PHY the average transmission rate that each node can achieve is estimated first. Next, we formulate a utility optimization framework for the video transmission problem and we show that it can be simplified due to the features of the new PHY. Simulation results reveal the system operating regions for which superimposing wireless packets is a better choice than a typical cooperative PHY., Comment: 2012 Packet Video Workshop

We provide an analytical study of the impact of packet skipping and opportunistic network coding on the timely communication of messages through a single network element. In a first step, we consider a single-server queueing system with Poisson arrivals, exponential service times, and a single buffer position. Packets arriving at a network node have a fixed deadline before which they should reach the destination. To preserve server capacity, we introduce a thresholding policy, based on remaining time until deadline expiration, to decide whether to serve a packet or skip its service. The obtained goodput improvement of the system is derived, as well as the operating conditions under which thresholding can enhance performance. Subsequently, we focus our analysis on a system that supports network coding instead of thresholding. We characterize the impact of network coding at a router node on the delivery of packets associated with deadlines. We model the router node as a queueing system where packets arrive from two independent Poisson flows and undergo opportunistic coding operations. We obtain an exact expression for the goodput of the system and study the achievable gain. Finally, we provide an analytical model that considers both network coding and packet skipping, capturing their joint performance. A comparative analysis between the aforementioned approaches is provided.

In this paper we present a cooperative medium access control (MAC) protocol that is designed for a physical layer that can decode interfering transmissions in distributed wireless networks. The proposed protocol pro-actively enforces two independent packet transmissions to interfere in a controlled and cooperative manner. The protocol ensures that when a node desires to transmit a unicast packet, regardless of the destination, it coordinates with minimal overhead with relay nodes in order to concurrently transmit over the wireless channel with a third node. The relay is responsible for allowing packets from the two selected nodes to interfere only when the desired packets can be decoded at the appropriate destinations and increase the sum-rate of the cooperative transmission. In case this is not feasible, classic cooperative or direct transmission is adopted. To enable distributed, uncoordinated, and adaptive operation of the protocol, a relay selection mechanism is introduced so that the optimal relay is selected dynamically and depending on the channel conditions. The most important advantage of the protocol is that interfering transmissions can originate from completely independent unicast transmissions from two senders. We present simulation results that validate the efficacy of our proposed scheme in terms of throughput and delay., Comment: To appear in IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications