An integrating channel coding and cryptography design for OFDM based WLANs

In the paper, a new integrating channel coding and cryptography design for wireless local area networks is proposed. In contrast to conventional communication systems, a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) encoder which is composed of a selectable CRC bank is placed in front of the encryptor in the proposed design. After each incoming data packet, the calculated CRC codes together with the input data packet are sent to the encryptor. Since the selection line of CRC bank can extend the key length, the CRC code is used to both enhance data security and provide data error detection. The cryptanalyses on brute-force attack indicate that the proposed design is a strict cipher and has higher security than the conventional one. Moreover, the computer simulation shows that the proposed design has a good ability in error detection and the detection ability is enhanced when the longer length of CRC code is employed.