A blockchain-assisted lightweight UAV network authentication mechanism via covert communication

【Author】 Qian, Yuwen; Cai, Huan; Shi, Long; Mei, Zhen; Shao, Yumeng; Shu, Feng; Zhou, Xiangwei

【Source】CHINESE JOURNAL OF AERONAUTICS

【影响因子】4.061

【Abstract】The increasing importance of terminal privacy in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) network has led to a growing network security. However, traditional authentication approaches are vulnerable due to the transmission of identity information between UAVs and cryptographic paradigm management centers over a public channel. These vulnerabilities include brute-force attacks, single point of failure, and information leakage. Blockchain, as a decentralized distributed ledger with blockchain storage, tamper-proof, secure, and tr and trust issues, while the hi mation leakage and violent a tication mechanism that leverages blockchain and covert communication, where the identity information is transmitted a recognition of the crucial role of authentication technology in UAV ustworthy features, can solve problems such as single-point-of-failure dden communication in the physical layer can effectively resist inforttacks. In this paper, we propose a lightweight UAV network authenweight-based Practical Byza s covert tags carried by normal modulated signals. In addition, a ntine Fault-Tolerant (wPBFT) consensus protocol is devised, where the weights are determined b scenarios. Simulation results y th e channel states of UAVs and the outcomes of past authentication demonstrate that the proposed mechanism outperforms traditional benchmarks in terms of securit Noise Ratio (SNR) and shor y and robustness, particularly under conditions of low Signal-tot ta g length. (c) 2024 Production and hosting by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

【Keywords】Covert communication; Blockchain; Physical layer; Authentication

【发表时间】2025 OCT

【收录时间】2025-09-11

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