Half-Duplex Active Eavesdropping in Fast Fading Channels: A Block-Markov Wyner Secrecy Encoding Scheme

Abstract: In this paper we study the problem of half-duplex active eavesdropping in fast fading channels. The active eavesdropper is a more powerful adversary than the classical eavesdropper. It can choose between two functional modes: eavesdropping the transmission between the legitimate parties (Ex mode), and jamming it (Jx mode) -- the active eavesdropper cannot function in full duplex mode. We consider a conservative scenario, when the active eavesdropper can choose its strategy based on the legitimate transmitter-receiver pair's strategy -- and thus the transmitter and legitimate receiver have to plan for the worst. We show that conventional physical-layer secrecy approaches perform poorly (if at all), and we introduce a novel encoding scheme, based on very limited and unsecured feedback -- the Block-Markov Wyner (BMW) encoding scheme -- which outperforms any schemes currently available.