New Results on Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Broadcast Channels with Confidential Messages

This paper presents two new results on multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Gaussian broadcast channels with confidential messages. First, the problem of the MIMO Gaussian wiretap channel is revisited. A matrix characterization of the capacity-equivocation region is provided, which extends the previous result on the secrecy capacity of the MIMO Gaussian wiretap channel to the general, possibly imperfect secrecy setting. Next, the problem of MIMO Gaussian broadcast channels with two receivers and three independent messages: a common message intended for both receivers, and two confidential messages each intended for one of the receivers but needing to be kept asymptotically perfectly secret from the other, is considered. A precise characterization of the capacity region is provided, generalizing the previous results which considered only two out of three possible messages.

MIMO Gaussian Broadcast Channels with Confidential and Common Messages

This paper considers the problem of secret communication over a two-receiver multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Gaussian broadcast channel. The transmitter has two independent, confidential messages and a common message. Each of the confidential messages is intended for one of the receivers but needs to be kept perfectly secret from the other, and the common message is intended for both receivers. It is shown that a natural scheme that combines secret dirty-paper coding with Gaussian superposition coding achieves the secrecy capacity region. To prove this result, a channel-enhancement approach and an extremal entropy inequality of Weingarten et al. are used.

Fading Cognitive Multiple-Access Channels With Confidential Messages

The fading cognitive multiple-access channel with confidential messages (CMAC-CM) is investigated, in which two users attempt to transmit common information to a destination and user 1 also has confidential information intended for the destination. User 1 views user 2 as an eavesdropper and wishes to keep its confidential information as secret as possible from user 2. The multiple-access channel (both the user-to-user channel and the user-to-destination channel) is corrupted by multiplicative fading gain coefficients in addition to additive white Gaussian noise. The channel state information (CSI) is assumed to be known at both the users and the destination. A parallel CMAC-CM with independent subchannels is first studied. The secrecy capacity region of the parallel CMAC-CM is established, which yields the secrecy capacity region of the parallel CMAC-CM with degraded subchannels. Next, the secrecy capacity region is established for the parallel Gaussian CMAC-CM, which is used to study the fading CMAC-CM. When both users know the CSI, they can dynamically change their transmission powers with the channel realization to achieve the optimal performance. The closed-form power allocation function that achieves every boundary point of the secrecy capacity region is derived.

Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Gaussian Broadcast Channels with Confidential Messages

This paper considers the problem of secret communication over a two-receiver multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Gaussian broadcast channel. The transmitter has two independent messages, each of which is intended for one of the receivers but needs to be kept asymptotically perfectly secret from the other. It is shown that, surprisingly, under a matrix power constraint both messages can be simultaneously transmitted at their respective maximal secrecy rates. To prove this result, the MIMO Gaussian wiretap channel is revisited and a new characterization of its secrecy capacity is provided via a new coding scheme that uses artificial noise and random binning.

A Vector Generalization of Costas Entropy-Power Inequality with Applications

This paper considers an entropy-power inequality (EPI) of Costa and presents a natural vector generalization with a real positive semidefinite matrix parameter. This new inequality is proved using a perturbation approach via a fundamental relationship between the derivative of mutual information and the minimum mean-square error (MMSE) estimate in linear vector Gaussian channels. As an application, a new extremal entropy inequality is derived from the generalized Costa EPI and then used to establish the secrecy capacity regions of the degraded vector Gaussian broadcast channel with layered confidential messages.

Multi-Antenna Gaussian Broadcast Channels with Confidential Messages

In wireless data networks, communication is particularly susceptible to eavesdropping due to its broadcast nature. Security and privacy systems have become critical for wireless providers and enterprise networks. This paper considers the problem of secret communication over a Gaussian broadcast channel, where a multi-antenna transmitter sends independent confidential messages to two users with emph{information-theoretic secrecy}. That is, each user would like to obtain its own confidential message in a reliable and safe manner. This communication model is referred to as the multi-antenna Gaussian broadcast channel with confidential messages (MGBC-CM). Under this communication scenario, a secret dirty-paper coding scheme and the corresponding achievable secrecy rate region are first developed based on Gaussian codebooks. Next, a computable Sato-type outer bound on the secrecy capacity region is provided for the MGBC-CM. Furthermore, the Sato-type outer bound proves to be consistent with the boundary of the secret dirty-paper coding achievable rate region, and hence, the secrecy capacity region of the MGBC-CM is established. Finally, a numerical example demonstrates that both users can achieve positive rates simultaneously under the information-theoretic secrecy requirement.

Interference-Assisted Secret Communication

Wireless communication is susceptible to adversarial eavesdropping due to the broadcast nature of the wireless medium. In this paper it is shown how eavesdropping can be alleviated by exploiting the superposition property of the wireless medium. A wiretap channel with a helping interferer (WT-HI), in which a transmitter sends a confidential message to its intended receiver in the presence of a passive eavesdropper, and with the help of an independent interferer, is considered. The interferer, which does not know the confidential message, helps in ensuring the secrecy of the message by sending independent signals. An achievable secrecy rate for the WT-HI is given. The results show that interference can be exploited to assist secrecy in wireless communications. An important example of the Gaussian case, in which the interferer has a better channel to the intended receiver than to the eavesdropper, is considered. In this situation, the interferer can send a (random) codeword at a rate that ensures that it can be decoded and subtracted from the received signal by the intended receiver but cannot be decoded by the eavesdropper. Hence, only the eavesdropper is interfered with and the secrecy level of the confidential message is increased.

Secrecy Capacity Region of a Multi-Antenna Gaussian Broadcast Channel with Confidential Messages

In wireless data networks, communication is particularly susceptible to eavesdropping due to its broadcast nature. Security and privacy systems have become critical for wireless providers and enterprise networks. This paper considers the problem of secret communication over the Gaussian broadcast channel, where a multi-antenna transmitter sends independent confidential messages to two users with information-theoretic secrecy. That is, each user would like to obtain its own confidential message in a reliable and safe manner. This communication model is referred to as the multi-antenna Gaussian broadcast channel with confidential messages (MGBC-CM). Under this communication scenario, a secret dirty-paper coding scheme and the corresponding achievable secrecy rate region are first developed based on Gaussian codebooks. Next, a computable Sato-type outer bound on the secrecy capacity region is provided for the MGBC-CM. Furthermore, the Sato-type outer bound prove to be consistent with the boundary of the secret dirty-paper coding achievable rate region, and hence, the secrecy capacity region of the MGBC-CM is established. Finally, two numerical examples demonstrate that both users can achieve positive rates simultaneously under the information-theoretic secrecy requirement.

Multiple Access Channels with Generalized Feedback and Confidential Messages

This paper considers the problem of secret communication over a multiple access channel with generalized feedback. Two trusted users send independent confidential messages to an intended receiver, in the presence of a passive eavesdropper. In this setting, an active cooperation between two trusted users is enabled through using channel feedback in order to improve the communication efficiency. Based on rate-splitting and decode-and-forward strategies, achievable secrecy rate regions are derived for both discrete memoryless and Gaussian channels. Results show that channel feedback improves the achievable secrecy rates.

Secure Nested Codes for Type II Wiretap Channels

This paper considers the problem of secure coding design for a type II wiretap channel, where the main channel is noiseless and the eavesdropper channel is a general binary-input symmetric-output memoryless channel. The proposed secure error-correcting code has a nested code structure. Two secure nested coding schemes are studied for a type II Gaussian wiretap channel. The nesting is based on cosets of a good code sequence for the first scheme and on cosets of the dual of a good code sequence for the second scheme. In each case, the corresponding achievable rate-equivocation pair is derived based on the threshold behavior of good code sequences. The two secure coding schemes together establish an achievable rate-equivocation region, which almost covers the secrecy capacity-equivocation region in this case study. The proposed secure coding scheme is extended to a type II binary symmetric wiretap channel. A new achievable perfect secrecy rate, which improves upon the previously reported result by Thangaraj et al., is derived for this channel.