A Novel Method for Physical-Layer Authentication via Channel State Information

Abstract

The channel response between a wireless transmitter node and a receiver node changes as the nodes move and the environment changes. Recent studies have suggested several approaches to leverage such changes in channel response as an attribute for authenticating a communication node's claimed identity. We propose a specular reflector mapping approach to enable authentication of a communication node's reported location by comparing measured transmission channel characteristics to those expected for emissions from the reported location. This work focuses on how a specular reflecting plane can be estimated from the multipath time delay measurements over multiple transmitter positions presenting theoretical limits to estimating such a reflecting plane. Additionally, we provide a brief example to illustrate the value such a reflecting plane can bring in regards to authenticating a transmission's claimed position of origin.