Proposal and evaluation of security schemes for software-defined radio

The functions of software-defined radio (SDR) can be changed by changing its software. Therefore, many security problems that have never been seen in the conventional fixed wireless terminals have arisen. We assess the security issues of the SDR system by taking the distribution model of SDR terminal software into account. A universal security architecture for the SDR systems is proposed. In the security architecture, security layer 1, involved with radio regulations, is mandatory regardless of the use. In order to keep security, we propose security schemes that use digital signatures in the distribution chain. Three concrete methods are quantitatively compared and discussed. The proposed method can certify the legitimacy of SDR terminals by detecting tampered software and preventing it from being installed on the hardware.