A novel covert channel in LTE-A system

Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) is the fourth generation (4G) wireless cellular communication standard. A covert channel is a noticeable threat to network security because it is able to transfer data under the overt channel. In this paper, a new class of covert channel coined as SNsteg is proposed, designed for LTE-A system. The SNsteg peculiarly utilizes the feature of Sequence Number (SN) fields in the headers of protocol stacks such as RLC (Radio Link Control) and PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol). Subsequently, there are some analyses and evaluations of this covert channel.