RINGS: Resilience of NextG Communication Systems to Malicious Modification Attacks

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The next generation of wireless communication systems (NextG) presents a larger attack surface to malicious actors. The increased vulnerability is driven by many factors including the rising complexity of systems and algorithms, the blurring of the line between computing and communication, and the introduction of new technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) that introduce devices from a globalized supply chain, whose provenance and security may be difficult to verify or guarantee. This project investigates the emerging risks from malicious modifications in hardware or software of NextG wireless communication systems, and devises techniques that improve the resilience of the next generation of communication systems against these risks. Malicious modifications can find their way into a communication system via software or firmware updates, which are nowadays common. Malicious hardware modifications have also evolved into a credible threat, due to the stretching of the integrated circuit (IC) fabrication supply chain that creates many opportunities for vulnerabilities to be inserted into a communication IC from design to fabrication. The project’s broader significance and importance are the protection of NextG systems against cyber threats, electrical and computer engineering curriculum development, and K-12 outreach.More specifically, this project concentrates on the modification threats that infiltrate the physical layer of wireless communication systems, inflicting harm by compromising data, or hampering legitimate communication via jamming and denial of service. New classes of modification threats in the physical layer are identified, and their threat is quantitatively analyzed. The research project further studies methods to detect the presence of malicious modifications, an important step for their removal or neutralization. The performance of these detection techniques is studied under adversarial uncertainty. The project demonstrates and verifies the attacks, as well as detection and mitigation strategies, via a custom-designed hardware platform.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.