Module Specifications
Academic Year 2026 - 2027
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Description This module introduces students to the principles and techniques of physical-layer (PHY) security in modern wireless systems, with a focus on edge, IoT, and next-generation networks. It covers the theoretical foundations of information-theoretic security, wireless channel characteristics, and practical PHY-layer mechanisms for secure communication. Students will learn to evaluate threats such as eavesdropping, jamming, and spoofing, design key generation schemes based on channel reciprocity, and apply signal processing strategies to enhance communication security. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Learning Outcomes 1. Explain the principles of information-theoretic security and secrecy capacity 2. Describe the main physical phenomena that affect a wireless channel from a security perspective 3. Design physical-layer key generation schemes based on channel reciprocity 4. Evaluate threats such as eavesdropping, jamming, and spoofing at the PHY layer 5. Apply signal processing techniques to enhance secure communication 6. Critically assess emerging PHY security techniques for edge, IoT, and next generation wireless systems. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml |
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Indicative Content and Learning Activities
Security Motivation at the Physical Layer Limits of traditional cryptographic security in wireless systems Threat models: passive vs active adversaries Why edge, IoT, and 6G revive physical-layer security Overview of PHY security techniques and assumption Wireless Channel Fundamentals for Security Electromagnetic waves and fundamentals of wave propagation Noise, interference, fading, and shadowing Channel state information (CSI): estimation and errors Spatial, temporal, and frequency diversity Selection combining, maximal ratio combining Security implications of channel randomness. Software defined Radios Learn the fundamentals of Software-Defined Radio (SDR) using platforms such as RTL-SDR, HackRF or a USRP. Information-Theoretic Security Basics Shannon’s notion of perfect secrecy Mutual information and equivocation Secrecy metrics and performance measures Comparison with computational security Wiretap Channel Models Wyner wiretap channel Gaussian and fading wiretap channels Secrecy capacity and outage probability Impact of CSI availability at transmitter and receiver Multiple-Antenna Systems and Secrecy MIMO fundamentals recap (security-oriented) Secrecy beamforming principles Artificial noise generation Spatial selectivity and directional security Practical Constraints and System Models Imperfect CSI and channel estimation errors Mobility and time-varying channels Hardware non-idealities When and why PHY security assumptions break Physical-Layer Key Generation Channel reciprocity and shared randomness Key extraction pipeline: probing, quantization, reconciliation Privacy amplification Performance limits and attacks Jamming, Interference, and Resilience Intentional jamming and denial-of-service Reactive and intelligent jammers Spread spectrum and frequency hopping revisited Anti-jamming and adaptive strategies Authentication and Device Identification Signal-based authentication principles Channel-based authentication RF fingerprinting using hardware impairments Vulnerabilities and spoofing attacks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Indicative Reading List Books:
Articles:
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Other Resources None | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||