Analysis of Methods for Detecting the Presence of Covert Communication

With the proliferation of modern telecommunication networks, protecting communications against eavesdropping has gained critical importance. Covert communication, by concealing the very existence of the signal, provides a deeper layer of security compared to conventional methods. This paper reviews various detection methods, including energy detection, inter-slot variance test, likelihood ratio test (LRT), and time-frequency approaches. For practical evaluation, a fixed-threshold detector offering lower complexity than LRT was selected and simulated in MATLAB. Results demonstrate that this method, despite its simplicity, delivers near-optimal performance. Three key factors were analyzed: Alice to Willie distance, Jammer to Willie distance, and jammer power. Analysis reveals that increasing Alice to Willie distance or reducing Jammer to Willie distance degrades Willie's detection capability, thereby enhancing covertness. Furthermore, the trade-off study between Bob's link reliability and covertness level shows that improving link reliability invariably reduces covertness. Overall, the proposed method serves as an efficient and practical solution for strengthening the security of covert communications in telecommunication networks.

کلیدواژه ها:

Security ، Warden ، Covert Communication ، Telecommunication Networks