Stackelberg-Based Anti-Jamming Game for Cooperative Cognitive Radio Networks
Abstract
With a target to address the frequency spectrum scarcity, Cognitive Radio technology
emerged as a solution to achieve enhanced spectrum utilization through enabling secondary
users to opportunistically access the licensed frequency bands meant for the primary users.
Cognitive Radio Networks (CRNs) are plagued with new security threats besides the traditional
threats that are shared with other wireless networks. Primary security threats include
the radio jammers who deliberately transmit radio signals to block, mask, or emulate the
legitimate active wireless connections. Acute radio jammers only attack at CRNs? vulnerable
times to cause maximum damage while saving power and decreasing the probability of
being detected.
In this thesis, using the IEEE 802.22 CRNs as a basis, a security threat assessment is
conducted, and a deception-based Stackelberg game anti-jamming mechanism is proposed.
Unlike previous works in the literature, rst, this thesis utilizes the Bayesian Attack Graph
(BAG) model to facilitate the security assessment of CRNs, providing a feasible metric of
CR vulnerabilities. Using the BAG model, the probability of denial of service in the IEEE
802.22 networks was proven to increase up to 51:3% when considering multiple attacks in
comparison to the most severe sole attack.
Second, this thesis proposes a deception-based defense mechanism which aims at decreasing
the contingent acute jamming attacks? likelihood in targeting CRNs? vulnerabilities.
The Stackelberg framework is adopted to count for the bias in information which exists between
the attacker and the defender due to the attacker?s reconnaissance capabilities. To
this end, the Stackelberg equilibria between the attacker(s) and the defending CRN are calculated
under the two cases when the players know and are uncertain about the primary
user activity. Both theoretical analysis and numerical results show that the defending CRN
can decrease the probability of success of the contingent acute jamming attacks when the defender has the incentive to defend the channel.
Lastly, the thesis proves the usefulness of the proposed defense mechanism in the extreme
case when the defender is uncertain about the attacker?s payo function in a repeated game
framework through online learning.
Description
Keywords
Engineering--Electronics and Electrical
Citation
Sayed Ahmed, I. (2017). Stackelberg-Based Anti-Jamming Game for Cooperative Cognitive Radio Networks (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27869