Ensuring Built-in Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum Wireless Network Security
The Sensors Directorate sponsored new technology developed by Robert Gold Comm Systems, Inc. (RGCS) under a Phase II Fast Track Small Business Innovation Research program. This technology provides powerful security protection for wireless computer networks, cell phones, and other radio communications. Benefits include highly secure communications with the overhead of encryption and selective addressability of receivers, individually or in groups.1
Accomplishment
Dr. Gold developed a built-in self-synchronizing and selective addressing algorithm based on times-of-arrival (TOA) measurements of a frequency-hopping radio system. These algorithms allow a monitor to synchronize to a frequency-hopping radio in a wireless network by making relatively brief observations of the TOAs on a single frequency. RGCS designed the algorithms for integration into spread-spectrum, frequency-hopping systems widely used for wireless communications such as wireless fidelity computer networks, cellular phones, and two-way radios used by the military, police, firefighters, ambulances, and commercial fleets.1
Background
Although very convenient for users, wireless communication is extremely vulnerable to eavesdropping. For example, hackers frequently access wireless computer networks (laptop computers linking to the wireless network).1
Encrypting the data increases the security of these wireless networks, but encryption is complex, inconvenient, time consuming for users, and adds a significant amount of overhead information that reduces data throughput. In frequency-hopping (spread-spectrum) wireless networks now in wide use, users protect the data by sending it in brief spurts, with the transmitter and receiver skipping in a synchronized pattern among hundreds of frequencies. An intruder without knowledge of the synchronization pattern would just hear static.1
A major vulnerability of many spread-spectrum wireless networks involves compromising the network security by intercepting unprotected information. Originators must send the sync pattern information to authorized receivers, often unprotected.1
The Gold algorithms support code-division multiple access, frequency-hopping multiple access, and ultra-wide-band spread-spectrum communication systems. They are designed for incorporation into enhanced versions of existing products, most of which already include circuitry that manufacturers can adapt to implement the technology.1
Additional Information
To receive more information about the preceding or other activities in the Air Force Research Laboratory, contact TECH CONNECT, AFRL/XPTC, (800) 203-6451, and you will be directed to the appropriate laboratory expert. (03-SN-21).1
1“New technology provides powerful security protection for wireless communications,” Air Force Research Laboratory AFRLAir AFRL, 1864 4th St., Bldg. 15, Room 225, WPAFB, OH 45433-7131, 2008.