This Invention Will Revolutionize Communication Authentication

This Invention Will Revolutionize Communication Authentication

photo illus. cyber by Pixabay
photo illus. cyber by Pixabay

This post is also available in: heעברית (Hebrew)

Authentication is one of the core pillars of wireless communications security, along with secrecy and privacy. The value of authentication in a military setting is readily apparent and mandatory. Receivers verify that an incoming transmission did indeed come from an ally and not a malicious adversary, therefore maintaining the integrity of communications. 

A new invention greatly increases an adversary’s difficulty in impersonating an ally. US Army researchers have been awarded a patent for inventing a practical method for Army wireless devices to covertly authenticate and communicate.

The researchers from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory and Lehigh University have invented a method to perform two tasks simultaneously: verifying the authenticity of wireless communications and communicating secret information.

The invention utilizes a shared key to create a secret code book, which is used to achieve authentication and establish an additional secure communications channel, Dr. Paul Yu said. An adversary, not knowing the key, is unable to create the code book and thus cannot reliably impersonate legitimate parties.

“A secret key is used to generate a low-rate secret code book that is used to provide both authentication of a primary message and side-channel communication of a secure secondary message,” Dr. Brian Sadler said. “The code word chosen from the secret code book is superimposed on the primary message waveform and is used as an identification tag so the receiver can securely and privately verify the identity of the source. The additional information is conveyed through the choice of a valid code word.”

“My team is focused on developing technology that is well-suited to be put into the hands of the Soldier in the not-too-distant future,” Yu said. “We are optimistic that by keeping an eye on future threats while exploring the art of the possible, we can help the future Army network be resilient and robust to the future threat environment.”

A previous physical layer authentication patent by the CCDC ARL inventors considers the use of only one valid tag for the sole purpose of authentication. This expanded new scheme allows for a set of valid tags constructed in a way that introduces more uncertainty for an adversary and allows a small secondary message to be sent securely.

The additional secure secondary message can also provide a way in which the key can be updated to protect against future attacks. This would directly address the need to periodically change the secret keys shared by legitimate parties.

The invention is also relevant to the commercial market. Authentication in general holds great importance in the commercial wireless communications sector. “The secure secondary message can be used to help communicate new key information to fluidly evolve the key over time to maintain an adversary’s confusion.”

The invention has been verified via detailed simulations. Earlier experiments using software-defined radios have shown that such a physical layer authentication scheme can be implemented successfully, as patented previously, according to techxplore.com.