Secrecy Performance Analysis of Integrated RF-UWOC IoT Networks Enabled by UAV and Underwater-RIS

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the secrecy performance of integrated RF-UWOC IoT networks with UAVs and underwater-RIS, deriving formulas and providing insights for secure communication in complex environments.

Contribution

It introduces a novel analysis of secrecy metrics for combined RF-UWOC IoT networks with RIS, considering multiple eavesdropping scenarios and system parameters.

Findings

Secrecy performance improves with more RIS elements.

Underwater turbulence and pointing errors negatively affect security.

Optimal system parameters enhance secure communication.

Abstract

In the sixth-generation (6G) Internet of Things (IoT) networks, the use of UAV-mounted base stations and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) has been considered to enhance coverage, flexibility, and security in non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In addition to aerial networks enabled by NTN technologies, the integration of underwater networks with 6G IoT can be considered one of the most innovative challenges in future IoT. Along with such trends in IoT, this study investigates the secrecy performance of IoT networks that integrate radio frequency (RF) UAV-based NTNs and underwater optical wireless communication (UOWC) links with an RIS. Considering three potential eavesdropping scenarios (RF signal, UOWC signal, and both), we derive closed-form expressions for secrecy performance metrics, including average secrecy capacity, secrecy outage probability, probability of strictly positive secrecy capacity, and effective secrecy throughput. Extensive numerical analyses and Monte Carlo simulations elucidate the impact of system parameters such as fading severity, the number of RIS reflecting elements, underwater turbulence, pointing errors, and detection techniques on system security. The findings offer comprehensive design guidelines for developing such a network aiming to enhance secrecy performance and ensure secure communication in diverse and challenging environments.