A noise-masking physical layer security method for multiple-input, multiple-output digital communication systems

Abstract

In this thesis, we develop a method of using a noise-masking system to increase the security in a multiple-input, multiple-output communication system by using known channel-state information to calculate a specific masking signal for each block of a space-time block-coded signal. This masking signal is invisible to the intended receiver since it is designed to cancel out within the equalization process. Using mathematical analysis and numerical simulation of the communication system, we find that it is possible to design an effective security system by employing this method. Finally, we extend this insight to a communication system involving wavelet packet modulation and find that this masking method can be adjusted to this more complicated system.