A Survey of Physical Layer Security Techniques for 5G Wireless Networks and Challenges Ahead

Physical layer security which safeguards data confidentiality based on the information-theoretic approaches has received significant research interest recently. The key idea behind physical layer security is to utilize the intrinsic randomness of the transmission channel to guarantee the security in physical layer. The evolution towards 5G wireless communications poses new challenges for physical layer security research. This paper provides a latest survey of the physical layer security research on various promising 5G technologies, including physical layer security coding, massive multiple-input multiple-output, millimeter wave communications, heterogeneous networks, non-orthogonal multiple access, full duplex technology, etc. Technical challenges which remain unresolved at the time of writing are summarized and the future trends of physical layer security in 5G and beyond are discussed.Comment: To appear in IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communication

Beamforming Techniques for Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access in 5G Cellular Networks

In this paper, we develop various beamforming techniques for downlink transmission for multiple-input single-output (MISO) non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) systems. First, a beamforming approach with perfect channel state information (CSI) is investigated to provide the required quality of service (QoS) for all users. Taylor series approximation and semidefinite relaxation (SDR) techniques are employed to reformulate the original non-convex power minimization problem to a tractable one. Further, a fairness-based beamforming approach is proposed through a max-min formulation to maintain fairness between users. Next, we consider a robust scheme by incorporating channel uncertainties, where the transmit power is minimized while satisfying the outage probability requirement at each user. Through exploiting the SDR approach, the original non-convex problem is reformulated in a linear matrix inequality (LMI) form to obtain the optimal solution. Numerical results demonstrate that the robust scheme can achieve better performance compared to the non-robust scheme in terms of the rate satisfaction ratio. Further, simulation results confirm that NOMA consumes a little over half transmit power needed by OMA for the same data rate requirements. Hence, NOMA has the potential to significantly improve the system performance in terms of transmit power consumption in future 5G networks and beyond.Comment: accepted to publish in IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technolog

Outage Performance and Optimal Design of MIMO-NOMA Enhanced Small Cell Networks With Imperfect Channel-State Information

This paper focuses on boosting the performance of small cell networks (SCNs) by integrating multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in consideration of imperfect channel-state information (CSI). The estimation error and the spatial randomness of base stations (BSs) are characterized by using Kronecker model and Poisson point process (PPP), respectively. The outage probabilities of MIMO-NOMA enhanced SCNs are first derived in closed-form by taking into account two grouping policies, including random grouping and distance-based grouping. It is revealed that the average outage probabilities are irrelevant to the intensity of BSs in the interference-limited regime, while the outage performance deteriorates if the intensity is sufficiently low. Besides, as the channel uncertainty lessens, the asymptotic analyses manifest that the target rates must be restricted up to a bound to achieve an arbitrarily low outage probability in the absence of the inter-cell interference.Moreover, highly correlated estimation error ameliorates the outage performance under a low quality of CSI, otherwise it behaves oppositely. Afterwards, the goodput is maximized by choosing appropriate precoding matrix, receiver filters and transmission rates. In the end, the numerical results verify our analysis and corroborate the superiority of our proposed algorithm

Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface for Physical Layer Security in 6G-IoT: Designs, Issues, and Advances

Sixth-generation (6G) networks pose substantial security risks because confidential information is transmitted over wireless channels with a broadcast nature, and various attack vectors emerge. Physical layer security (PLS) exploits the dynamic characteristics of wireless environments to provide secure communications, while reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) can facilitate PLS by controlling wireless transmissions. With RIS-aided PLS, a lightweight security solution can be designed for low-end Internet of Things (IoT) devices, depending on the design scenario and communication objective. This article discusses RIS-aided PLS designs for 6G-IoT networks against eavesdropping and jamming attacks. The theoretical background and literature review of RIS-aided PLS are discussed, and design solutions related to resource allocation, beamforming, artificial noise, and cooperative communication are presented. We provide simulation results to show the effectiveness of RIS in terms of PLS. In addition, we examine the research issues and possible solutions for RIS modeling, channel modeling and estimation, optimization, and machine learning. Finally, we discuss recent advances, including STAR-RIS and malicious RIS.Comment: Accepted for IEEE Internet of Things Journa

Outage probability analysis for the multi-carrier NOMA downlink relying on statistical CSI

In this treatise, we derive tractable closed-form expressions for the outage probability of the single cell multi-carrier non-orthogonal multiple access (MC-NOMA) downlink, where the transmitter side only has statistical CSI knowledge. In particular, we analyze the outage probability with respect to the total data rates (summed over all subcarriers), given a minimum target rate for the individual users. The calculation of outage probability for the distant user is challenging, since the total rate expression is given by the sum of logarithmic functions of the ratio between two shifted exponential random variables, which are dependent. In order to derive the closed-form outage probability expressions both for two subcarriers and for a general case of multiple subcarriers, efficient approximations are proposed. The probability density function (PDF) of the product of shifted exponential distributions can be determined for the near user by the Mellin transform and the generalized upper incomplete Fox’s H function. Based on this PDF, the corresponding outage probability is presented. Finally, the accuracy of our outage analysis is verified by simulation results

Robust Transceiver Design for Covert Integrated Sensing and Communications With Imperfect CSI

We propose a robust transceiver design for a covert integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) system with imperfect channel state information (CSI). Considering both bounded and probabilistic CSI error models, we formulate worst-case and outage-constrained robust optimization problems of joint trasceiver beamforming and radar waveform design to balance the radar performance of multiple targets while ensuring communications performance and covertness of the system. The optimization problems are challenging due to the non-convexity arising from the semi-infinite constraints (SICs) and the coupled transceiver variables. In an effort to tackle the former difficulty, S-procedure and Bernstein-type inequality are introduced for converting the SICs into finite convex linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) and second-order cone constraints. A robust alternating optimization framework referred to alternating double-checking is developed for decoupling the transceiver design problem into feasibility-checking transmitter- and receiver-side subproblems, transforming the rank-one constraints into a set of LMIs, and verifying the feasibility of beamforming by invoking the matrix-lifting scheme. Numerical results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed algorithm in improving the performance of covert ISAC systems