Abstract:
Ultra-wideband (UWB) communication is emerging as a prominent technology to enhance the security of proximity verification systems (e.g., passive keyless entry and start ...Show MoreMetadata
Abstract:
Ultra-wideband (UWB) communication is emerging as a prominent technology to enhance the security of proximity verification systems (e.g., passive keyless entry and start systems, financial payment, and user authentication) against signal-relaying attacks. Leveraging the short-duration pulse (1–2 ns) in the physical-layer pulse, UWB communication enables a precise Time-of-Arrival (ToA) measurement for the received frame, which in turn leads to precise distance measurement. The current UWB communication is based on the IEEE 802.15.4z standard, which defines a scrambled timestamp sequence (STS) field that provides a secure ranging capability. However, exploiting the lack of integrity checks in the STS field, recent studies showed that an attacker could maliciously reduce the distance measurement between UWB devices. In this article, we present a distance reduction attack detection method for high-rate pulse repetition frequency (HRP) UWB ranging system. The proposed method analyzes the distribution of the channel impulse response (CIR) computed at the receiver for a ToA measurement. Since IEEE standard-compliant devices measure the ToA based on the CIR, our method can be widely implemented for commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) devices. Through simulation and real-world experiments, we show that our method can effectively detect distance reduction attacks with a false alarm rate of 1%.
Published in: IEEE Internet of Things Journal ( Volume: 11, Issue: 24, 15 December 2024)
Funding Agency:

School of Software, Soongsil University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Kyungho Joo received the B.S. degree from the College of Information and Communication, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea, in 2016, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in information security from Korea University in 2018 and 2024, respectively.
Since 2024, he has been an Assistant Professor with Soongsil University, Seoul. His research interests include wireless security and automotive security.
Kyungho Joo received the B.S. degree from the College of Information and Communication, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea, in 2016, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in information security from Korea University in 2018 and 2024, respectively.
Since 2024, he has been an Assistant Professor with Soongsil University, Seoul. His research interests include wireless security and automotive security.View more

Graduate School of Information Security, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Wonsuk Choi received the B.S. degree in mathematics from the University of Seoul, Seoul, South Korea, in 2008, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in information security from Korea University, Seoul, in 2013 and 2018, respectively.
He was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Institute of Cyber Security and Privacy, Korea University. In 2023, he joined the Graduate School of Information Security, Korea University as an Assistant ...Show More
Wonsuk Choi received the B.S. degree in mathematics from the University of Seoul, Seoul, South Korea, in 2008, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in information security from Korea University, Seoul, in 2013 and 2018, respectively.
He was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Institute of Cyber Security and Privacy, Korea University. In 2023, he joined the Graduate School of Information Security, Korea University as an Assistant ...View more

School of Software, Soongsil University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Kyungho Joo received the B.S. degree from the College of Information and Communication, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea, in 2016, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in information security from Korea University in 2018 and 2024, respectively.
Since 2024, he has been an Assistant Professor with Soongsil University, Seoul. His research interests include wireless security and automotive security.
Kyungho Joo received the B.S. degree from the College of Information and Communication, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea, in 2016, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in information security from Korea University in 2018 and 2024, respectively.
Since 2024, he has been an Assistant Professor with Soongsil University, Seoul. His research interests include wireless security and automotive security.View more

Graduate School of Information Security, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Wonsuk Choi received the B.S. degree in mathematics from the University of Seoul, Seoul, South Korea, in 2008, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in information security from Korea University, Seoul, in 2013 and 2018, respectively.
He was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Institute of Cyber Security and Privacy, Korea University. In 2023, he joined the Graduate School of Information Security, Korea University as an Assistant Professor. His research interests include security for body area networks, usable security, applied cryptography, and smart car security.
Wonsuk Choi received the B.S. degree in mathematics from the University of Seoul, Seoul, South Korea, in 2008, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in information security from Korea University, Seoul, in 2013 and 2018, respectively.
He was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Institute of Cyber Security and Privacy, Korea University. In 2023, he joined the Graduate School of Information Security, Korea University as an Assistant Professor. His research interests include security for body area networks, usable security, applied cryptography, and smart car security.View more