Matched-Filter-based Spectrum Sensing for Secure Cognitive Radio Network Communications

TL;DR: This paper focuses on security problems arising from Primary User Emulation (PUE) attacks in CR networks where the selfish or malicious node emulates primary user's signals to prevent other secondary users from accessing that frequency band.

Abstract: increasing demand for wireless communication introduces efficient spectrum utilization challenge. To address this challenge, Cognitive Radio (CR) has emerged as the key technology, which enables opportunistic access to the spectrum. However, security is a very important issue but not well addressed in CR networks. In this paper, we focus on security problems arising from Primary User Emulation (PUE) attacks in CR networks where the selfish or malicious node emulates primary user's signals to prevent other secondary users from accessing that frequency band. Our system is based on the deployment of multiple stages of "helper" nodes, helper nodes in the first stage are stationary, close to primary user and responsible for detecting and authenticating primary user's signal based on matched filter spectrum-sensing technique. However, helper nodes in the next stages are placed within the primary user's coverage area and serve as bridges for forwarding the spectrum status information to enable secondary users to verify the cryptographic signature carried by the helper nodes' signals. Moreover, the effect of PUE attack on the performance of matched-filter-based spectrum-sensing technique is illustrated.