ISAC-Assisted Defense Mechanisms for PUE Attacks in Cognitive Radio Networks

With the evolution of communication systems toward the sixth-generation technology (6G), intelligent cognitive communication has gained considerable attention. As an important part of intelligent cognitive communication, cognitive radio (CR) offers promising prospects for efficient spectrum utilization. However, with the introduction of cognitive capabilities, CR networks (CRNs) face not only common security threats in wireless systems, but also unique security threats, including primary user emulation (PUE) attacks, endangering communication reliability and confidentiality. In order to enhance the defense ability of CRNs against PUE attacks, this paper proposes an integrated sensing and communication (ISAC)-assisted approach. Leveraging ISAC technology, our scheme enhances location detection precision. We introduce a high-resolution perception signal parameter estimation method and a position-based identity authentication scheme. Furthermore, deep reinforcement learning is used to dynamically optimize the authentication threshold to ensure the stability of authentication in dynamic scenarios. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme is effective in resisting PUE attacks and improves the security and reliability of CRNs.