A Source Location Privacy Preservation Method Using Mixed Fake Sources and Phantoms

Industrial cyber-physical systems (ICPSs) have significantly improved production efficiency, e.g., Siemens applied ICPS in its Amberg factory, which achieved 75% production automation. However, the security problems involved have not been completely solved, e.g., the source location privacy (SLP). Currently, with the expansion of the ICPS network size and the increasing number of devices, the existing defense process uses these device nodes as false nodes to enhance the security of the ICPS. However, this approach also results in additional energy consumption and transmission delays. To address the above challenges, we propose a solution to mix false sources and phantom strategies [i.e., phantom-backbone–fake (PBF)]. First, a relay phantom node selection algorithm is proposed because adversaries are prone to track source nodes through fixed routes. We aim to optimize the path from the source node to the relay node and then to the sink node to minimize transmission delays. Ultimately, we devise a comprehensive strategy that considers both energy efficiency and distance indicators for the selection of appropriate false nodes. Through simulation and analysis, we demonstrate that our approach improves security and overall network performance.