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Covert Routing with DSSS Signaling Against Cycle Detectors

Swapnil Saha, Rahul Aggarwal, Fikadu Dagefu, Justin Kong, Jihun Choi, Brian Kim, Predrag Spasojevic

TL;DR

This work addresses covert multi-hop routing under cycle-detection adversaries using DSSS signaling. It develops per-hop resource allocation—bandwidth, power, and spreading gain—under QoS and link-budget constraints, and proves an equivalence between covertness optimization and a detection-SNR gain-based widest-path routing, enabling efficient route computation. Through a 3D-ray-tracing evaluation, the study shows that end-to-end latency grows nonlinearly with covertness requirements and scales super-linearly with message size, with cycle detectors and energy detectors producing distinct latency trends. The framework yields practical insights for designing covert networks that resist advanced cycle-detecting adversaries while meeting QoS guarantees.

Abstract

This paper investigates covert multi-hop communication in wireless networks where an adversary employs a cyclostationary (cycle) detector to reveal hidden transmissions. The covert route employs direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) signaling to ensure either maximum end-to-end covertness maximization or minimum latency minimization-under quality-of-service (QoS) and link budget constraints. Optimal bandwidth, transmit power, and spreading gain for each hop jointly satisfy reliability and either rate or covertness requirements. We show the equivalence between the covertness and the detection SNR gain-based widest-path formulations, and, hence, enabling efficient route computation. Numerical simulations in a realistic 3D environment illustrate that (i) end-to-end latency increases exponentially with the covertness requirement, (ii) the end-to-end latency increase is super-linear with the packet size M, and (iii) cycle and energy detectors impose different latency behavior as a function of the message length and the covertness requirement. The proposed framework provides important insights into resource allocation and routing design for covert networks against advanced detection adversaries.

Covert Routing with DSSS Signaling Against Cycle Detectors

TL;DR

This work addresses covert multi-hop routing under cycle-detection adversaries using DSSS signaling. It develops per-hop resource allocation—bandwidth, power, and spreading gain—under QoS and link-budget constraints, and proves an equivalence between covertness optimization and a detection-SNR gain-based widest-path routing, enabling efficient route computation. Through a 3D-ray-tracing evaluation, the study shows that end-to-end latency grows nonlinearly with covertness requirements and scales super-linearly with message size, with cycle detectors and energy detectors producing distinct latency trends. The framework yields practical insights for designing covert networks that resist advanced cycle-detecting adversaries while meeting QoS guarantees.

Abstract

This paper investigates covert multi-hop communication in wireless networks where an adversary employs a cyclostationary (cycle) detector to reveal hidden transmissions. The covert route employs direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) signaling to ensure either maximum end-to-end covertness maximization or minimum latency minimization-under quality-of-service (QoS) and link budget constraints. Optimal bandwidth, transmit power, and spreading gain for each hop jointly satisfy reliability and either rate or covertness requirements. We show the equivalence between the covertness and the detection SNR gain-based widest-path formulations, and, hence, enabling efficient route computation. Numerical simulations in a realistic 3D environment illustrate that (i) end-to-end latency increases exponentially with the covertness requirement, (ii) the end-to-end latency increase is super-linear with the packet size M, and (iii) cycle and energy detectors impose different latency behavior as a function of the message length and the covertness requirement. The proposed framework provides important insights into resource allocation and routing design for covert networks against advanced detection adversaries.
Paper Structure (19 sections, 2 theorems, 19 equations, 4 figures)

This paper contains 19 sections, 2 theorems, 19 equations, 4 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Network & Signal Model
  3. Network Model
  4. Single Hop Transmission Model
  5. Covertness Against Cycle Detector
  6. Background: Cycle Detector
  7. Single Hop Cycle Detection at Willie
  8. Performance Metrics & Problem Formulation
  9. Performance Metrics
  10. End-to-End Covertness Maximization
  11. End-to-End Latency Minimization
  12. Proposed Solution
  13. Single Hop Covert Maximization
  14. Single Hop Latency Minimization
  15. Covert Routes: Covertness vs Latency Optimization
  16. ...and 4 more sections

Key Result

Lemma 5.1

Let M be the packet size. The solution of equ:link_latency is the latency $\lambda_v^{min},$ achievable with bandwidth $\Omega^{max},$ transmit power $P_v^{max,reqd},$ and spreading gain $\eta_v^{opt}=\Omega^{max} \lambda_v^{min}/M.$

Figures (4)

  • Figure 1: System model of multi-hop network. Each hop uses DSSS signals to communicate with the next hop.
  • Figure 2: Network topology.
  • Figure 4: End-to-end latency versus link covertness requirement, showing a transition from constant $O(1)$ to linear $O(n)$ and near-exponential growth as stricter covert constraints force increases in both the hop number and processing gain.
  • Figure 5: End-to-end latency of cycle and energy detectors versus message length under relaxed and stringent covert requirements. For low $DEP$, the cycle detector imposes routes with higher latency than the energy detector and vice versa.

Theorems & Definitions (3)

  • Lemma 5.1
  • Theorem 5.2
  • proof