Low Probability of Detection Communication: Opportunities and Challenges

• Published in: IEEE wireless communications Vol. 26; no. 5; pp. 19 - 25
• Main Authors: Yan, Shihao, Zhou, Xiangyun, Hu, Jinsong, Hanly, Stephen V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.10.2019; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: 5G mobile communication; Communication; Communication system security; Communications systems; Error detection; Information theory; Military communication; Network security; Privacy; Receivers; Wireless communications; Wireless networks
• ISSN: 1536-1284; 1558-0687
• DOI: 10.1109/MWC.001.1900057

LPD communication has recently emerged as a new transmission technology to address privacy and security in wireless networks. Recent studies have established the fundamental limits of LPD communication in terms of the amount of information that can be conveyed from a transmitter to a receiver subject to a constraint on a warden's detection error probability. The established information- theoretic metric enables analytical studies on the design and performance of LPD communication under various channel conditions. In this article, we present the key features of LPD communication and discuss various important design considerations. First, we clarify the differences between LPD communication and well-known physical-layer security. Then, from an information-theoretic point of view, we discuss the optimal signaling strategies for transmitting the message-carrying signal and artificial noise signal for LPD communication. Finally, we identify the key challenges in the design of practical LPD communication systems and point out future research directions in this context. This article provides guidelines for designing practical LPD communication strategies in wireless systems and networks.