Collaborative Research: CT-ISG: An Integrated PHY-MAC Approach to Secure Open Access Wireless Networks

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

An Integrated PHY-MAC approach to secure Open-Access Wireless Networks Abstract This collaborative project proposes an integrated research and educational plan for addressing many important serious security challenges, especially at the lower layers of Open-Access Wireless Networks (OAWNs). The goal of this project is to addres wireless security vulnerabilities in OAWNs by defining an ubiquitous infrastructure for security and control that maintains its open access nature for regular clients while appropriately detecting, localizing, and isolating malicious behavior and mitigating their impact. A unique aspect and key contribution of this project will be its focus on protecting the lower (PHY and MAC) layers through an integrated approach that has received scant prior attention in the context of OAWNs. This is particularly important since the lower layers are the weakest links of any open wireless system. To do this, the PIs will design protocol mechanisms that, first, prevent or at least render MAC-layer attacks difficult. If an attacker would instead try to attack the PHY layer, it would have to expend significantly higher amounts of energy, which in turn simplifies attack detection. In addition, to combat such PHY layer attacks, the PIs propose to use sophisticated signaling and coding techniques as well as PHY-MAC cryptographic and spatio-temporal scheduling strategies. Finally, to facilitate some of these security mechanisms, the PIs will also design distributed PHY-MAC strategies that perform continuous monitoring of the wireless environment and help isolate anomalous behavior. An important part of this project will be evaluating the tradeoffs between degree of interoperability of proposed mechanisms with the corresponding level of security guarantees achievable.