Enhancing Secrecy with Multi-Antenna Transmission in Millimeter Wave Vehicular Communication Systems

TL;DR

This paper proposes two novel physical layer security techniques for millimeter wave vehicular communication systems, using multi-antenna configurations to enhance secrecy rates against potential attacks.

Contribution

Introduction of two PHY security methods utilizing multi-antenna setups with limited RF chains for improved secrecy in vehicular mmWave systems.

Findings

Higher secrecy rates achieved compared to traditional methods

Effective use of noise-like signals and artificial noise injection

Reduced interference in vehicular environments

Abstract

Millimeter wave (mmWave) vehicular communication systems will provide an abundance of bandwidth for the exchange of raw sensor data and support driver-assisted and safety-related functionalities. Lack of secure communication links, however, may lead to abuses and attacks that jeopardize the efficiency of transportation systems and the physical safety of drivers. In this paper, we propose two physical layer (PHY) security techniques for vehicular mmWave communication systems. The first technique uses multiple antennas with a single RF chain to transmit information symbols to a target receiver and noise-like signals in non-receiver directions. The second technique uses multiple antennas with a few RF chains to transmit information symbols to a target receiver and opportunistically inject artificial noise in controlled directions, thereby reducing interference in vehicular environments. Theoretical and numerical results show that the proposed techniques provide higher secrecy rate when compared to traditional PHY security techniques that require digital or more complex antenna architectures.