Protocol Design Rules from Hiding Patterns to Avoid Steganographic Channels in Wireless Communication

Covert channels for the transmission of stegano-graphic messages are not only possible in classic internet protocols but also in wireless communications such as 4G and 5G air interface. Hiding patterns collect the central ideas behind these channels. We therefore derive rules for protocol design, conformance to which disables at least the most frequently used covert channel approaches. Starting from 5G, we investigate where 6G standardization might take such rules into account to better protect 6G protocols against covert channels from the beginning,