On the architecture of secure software defined radios

S college of engineering 2csirnational aerospace laboratories abstract. Security aspects in software defined radio and cognitive radio. We have prototyped the proposed secure sdr architecture using vmware and the gnu radio toolkit, and demonstrate that the overheads incurred by the. Software defined radios allow soldiers to adapt to cyber.

Software defined radio sdr is a hot area in telecommunications and is one of the most important topics of research in the field of mobile and personal communications. Progress in the sdr field has led to the escalation of protocol. Softwaredefined radio is a concept according to which rf communication is achieved by using software or firmware to perform signalprocessing tasks that are typically performed by hardware. The openflow opensource standard, created in 2008, was recognized as the first sdn architecture that defined how the control and data plane elements would. Sdr software defined radio, sca software communication. Software defined radio the software communications architecture john bard, space coast communication systems inc. This paper examines the rationale, properties and shortcomings of the prevailing ldquoredblackrdquo architecture for secure software defined radios sdr. World premiere the most innovative atc radio with the. Considering above, in this paper, we take a step towards these requirements by proposing a dedicated sdnbased integrated security framework for the internet of radio light iorl system that is following 5g architecture design. Hundreds of thousands of scaenabled softwaredefined radios sdrs have been deployed to date. Easy to upgrade different versions of the software.

High assurance security architecture at the software. A short history of softwaredefined radio sdr technology. While the concept of sdr is not new, the rapidly evolving capabilities of digital electronics. Harris corporation awarded a second lrip order on us army. A defenseindepth security architecture for software. Although an example of a secure architecture is discussed, the focus is to explore an architectural. Software defined radio sdr is a rapidly evolving technology which implements some functional modules of a radio system in software executing on a program. On the architecture of secure software defined radios ieee. The sbc was approved in 2008 and is utilized throughout the dod and the world. An architecture for secure software defined radio ieee conference. Web scale refers to the capabilities that large cloud services firms such as amazon, netflix, and facebook have to scale up software to huge audiences while remaining agile enough to adapt rapidly. Softwaredefined radio sdr is a radio communication system where components that have been traditionally implemented in hardware e. David kleidermacher, mike kleidermacher, in embedded systems security, 2012. Unit i introduction to software defined radio definitions and potential benefits, software radio architecture evolution, technology tradeoffs and architecture implications.

The adoption of these technologies as a standard will guarantee the interoperability of eu forces in the framework of joint operations, regardless which radio platforms are used, thereby reinforcing the european strategic autonomy. An integrated agent architecture for software defined radio. Softwaredefined radios sdr for the purposes of the new regulation are. Certium radios cover the entire range used in atc from hf to vhf and uhf with outstanding transmission parameters.

In the basic software architecture of a modern sdr figure 1. Leger at desert code camp at chandlergilbert community college. High assurance security architecture at the software defined. Question bt level domain part a 1 outline the features of software defined radio. To address shortcomings, a computer security process is formalized that leads to a provably secure sdr architectural framework. An architecture for secure software defined radio proceedings of. Software defined radio sdr is a rapidly evolving technology which implements some functional modules of a radio system in software. Traditional communications device redblack architecture.

One of the main goals of the essor program is the development of the essor architecture, an software defined radio sdr architecture relying on the already published joint tactical radio system jtrs software communications architecture sca and application programming interfaces apis. This book provides a comprehensive, practical introduction to building a scacompliant system taking the reader through the historical and conceptual background. On the architecture of secure software defined radios. Based on the software communications architecture sca, an open standard designed by the international community, the eco suite contains all the tools needed to get you started quickly to design, develop, test and operate your software defined systems. Nov 01, 2019 to address soldier feedback requesting easier and faster ways to plan and manage the armys advanced software defined radios, such as the 2channel leader radio, the service is piloting a new. The new 5g core, as defined by 3gpp, utilizes cloudaligned, servicebased architecture sba that spans across all 5g functions and interactions including authentication, security, session management and aggregation of traffic from end devices. Softwaredefined radios architecture, stateoftheart. This paper examines the rationale, properties and short comings of the prevailing redblack architecture for secure software defined radios sdr. Software defined radio architecture contributions to next. Detects tampering with boot loaders and critical operating system files by checking their digital signatures and product keys.

Software defined radios architectures, systems and functions. Built on a softwaredefined, reprogrammable radio architecture, our cdl communication suites are easily upgradeable as waveforms evolve. Germany has officially joined the european secure software defined radio essor programme and the operational capability 1 oc1 phase. Leonardo is one of the leading partners of the essor european secure software defined radio consortium, whose purpose is to establish a shared eu radio architecture, ensuring that all products of the swavesdr family are always in line and compatible with the development of new waveforms. Germany joins european secure software defined radio essor. Verification for software communication architecture compliance of software defined radios 1divyashree k b, 2jayanthi. Secure boot works with the hardware to ensure that the loaded software components are valid to provide a root of trust for the rest of the system. The compact, multichannel dmr provides multiple waveforms and multilevel information security for voice and data communications from the core of the network to the tactical edge. Network separation all the way down to the core makes the radio resilient to denial of serviceattacks, while five ethernet interfaces flexibly support various deployment scenarios in. Now that we have two examples of what an sdr is not, here is my attempt at a definition of softwaredefined radio.

Secure military and civil airborne softwaredefined radio. We then introduce a new security model intended to protect against these attacks. The object management group omg secure network communications snc for software defined radios sdr rfi updates the omg software based communications sbc standard, which is also known as the software communications architecture sca within the dod. Nevertheless, it greatly stimulated advances in sdr development for a decade. Softwaredefined architecture sda is a new style of software architecture that advances already powerful web scale applications. The software communications architecture focuses on the issues and benefits associated with developing a radio system in compliance with the sca specification. Pdf an architecture for secure software defined radio. By argie sarantinosperrin, project manager tactical radios, peo c3t october 20, 2014. Hundreds of thousands of scaenabled software defined radios sdrs have been deployed to date. European secure softwaredefined radio essor is a planned european union eu permanent structured cooperation project for the development of common technologies for european military software defined radio systems, to guarantee the interoperability and security of voice and data communications between eu forces in joint operations, on a variety of platforms. A defenseindepth security architecture for software defined.

Leonardos software defined radio communications in the. With its leadership pedigree underscored by certifications in a range of industries, integrity sets the standard for realtime operating system safety, security, and. The main scope of this programme is to provide a software defined radio sdr architecture for military purposes called essor architecture and a military high data rate networking wideband waveform hdr wf compliant with such architecture, thus offering the normative referential required for development and production of software defined tactical radios in europe. Dec 23, 2016 since i originally held a general ticket back in early 1970s weve seen the rise of the internet that connects every part of our world together, everyday computers so powerful its mindboggling, digital technologies of every kind imaginable oh yes, and softwaredefined radios sdr. The digital modular radio dmr, anusc61c, is the first software defined radio to have become a communications system standard for the u. Classes of attacks for tactical software defined radios. For example, it is easy to change lte modem having phy and rf compliant to lte standard into lte advanced modem compliant to lteadvanced standard.

Radios whose operating parameters frequency range, modulation type or maximum output power, or the circumstances under which the transmitter operates in accordance with commission rules, can be changed, at least in part, through software changes alone. Developed by a team led by matt ettus, the usrp product family is intended to be a comparatively inexpensive hardware platform for software radio, and is commonly used by research labs, universities, and hobbyists. Software defined radio sdr is a rapidly evolving technology which implements some functional modules of a radio system in software executing on a. Recent procurements for the vjtf 2023 are making a start on the endtoend digital command radio link over the first mile. Software defined radio sdr is a programmable transceiver with the capability of operating various wireless communication protocols without the need to change or update the hardware. Both security architecture and security design are elements of how it professionals work to provide comprehensive security for systems. Security architecture is the set of resources and components of a security system that allow it to function. The european secure software defined radio aims to develop common technologies for european military radios. Pdf software architecture of softwaredefined radio sdr. Architectures, systems and functions presents new research in wireless communications.

Objectorientated approaches to wireless systems engineering, 04784925, 568 pages, october 2000. This presentation describes an open architecture sdr software defined radio infrastructure, suitable for. You can expand them for future techniques, reconfigure them for modified application profiles, and switch them between different radio services. Sdrstrs flight experiment and the role of sdrbased.

What is software defined radio wireless innovation forum. What is the difference between security architecture and. Hrs has been awarded a second lowrate initial production lrip order by the u. Understanding the sdn architecture and sdn control plane. It deals with reconfigurability aspects in various layers on the. Introduction to softwaredefined radio technical articles. Leonardos software defined radio communications in the times. This translates to supporting various features and functionalities, such as updating and upgrading through reprogramming, without the need to replace the hardware on which. Software architecture of software defined radio sdr. Hardware security secure boot and software attestation functions. Sdrstrs flight experiment and the role of sdrbased communication and navigation systems. On the other hand, software defined radios sdrs, which have the flexibility and performance needed to overcome the aforementioned limitations, currently have a power consumption too high for. Following are the benefits or advantages of sdr software defined radio architecture based system.

Also, the european defense agency created the european secure software defined radio essor program, which continues from the work of the jtrs sca. This technology is based on software defined wireless protocols, as opposed to hardwarebased solutions. A software defined radio sdr is defined as a radio in which some or all of the physical layer. This survey presents a classification of attacks that software communications architecture sca compliant software defined radios sdr can suffer. Software defined radio an overview sciencedirect topics. Embedded components suite eco suite viavi solutions inc. Software defined radios overview and hardware 1 software defined radios combine a broad scope of complex radio techniques in one instrument. Essor sdr architecture tutorial wireless innovation forum. Army prototypes radio network management software tool suite. Softwaredefined radio sdr is a programmable transceiver with the capability of operating various wireless communication. Digital modular radio dmr general dynamics mission systems. The main goal of this dissertation is to introduce a new defenseindepth security architecture for software radios that protects the system by isolating components within a waveform into different security zones. It has been almost 30 years since sdr was first introduced.

Idga 6th annual software radio summit february 25 28, 2008. Rockwell collins modernized, highfrequency hf communications systems give military operators advanced, secure, beyond line of sight blos communications capabilities with very low daytoday operating costs and effectiveness in both satellitelimited and contested battlefield environments. Oct 22, 2014 an introductory overview of software defined radio sdr is given by schuyler st. The green hills platform for software defined radio delivers a complete, standardsbased reference platform for developing and deploying sdr systems ranging from the armed forces joint tactical radio systems jtrs to public safety radios as well as commercial small formfactor reconfigurable radios. Software defined radio sdr is a technology for radio communication. The main scope of this project is to provide architecture of software defined radio sdr for military purposes and a military high data waveform hdr wf compliant with such architecture, thus offering the normative referential required for development and production of software radios in europe. Software defined radio sdr is a radio communication system where components that have been traditionally implemented in hardware e. This work specifically focuses on this new threat and demonstrates example exploits of software radios. It is an advanced and fully integrated network component, with a security bydesign architecture and extremely flexible network interfaces. Jul 24, 2019 recent procurements for the vjtf 2023 are making a start on the endtoend digital command radio link over the first mile. Harris corporation awarded a second lrip order on us armys. High assurance security architecture at the software defined radio forum scottsdale, az november 15, 2004 executives of objective interface systems, inc. Radio in which some or all of the physical layer functions are software defined a radio is any kind of device that wirelessly transmits or receives signals in the radio frequency rf part of the electromagnetic spectrum to facilitate the transfer of information. Universal software radio peripheral usrp is a range of software defined radios designed and sold by ettus research and its parent company, national instruments.

Sdr software defined radiobasics,architecture,benefits. Secure natonational encryption communications software defined radios for voice and data standard waveforms protocols and proprietary solutions for data transmission ease of operation former products the companys range of reconfigurable radios are already being recognised in the military tactical land communications market. Reliable software defined radios for air traffic control communication between the pilots and controller requires reliable and secure radios. Software defined radios allow soldiers to adapt to cyber threats. Evaluating lessons learned from development and operation of the early space sdrs on the nasa space communications and navigation scan testbed on the international space station iss provide feedback for defining the communications architecture. World premiere the most innovative atc radio with the highest degree of security. Software defined radios sdr by far the largest repository of dsp products is the free and publicly available gnuradio. Radios built on the sdr sca framework with realtime corba can easily incorporate the mils high assurance security architecture with virtually no changes to the existing waveform software. This translates to supporting various features and functionalities, such as updating and upgrading through reprogramming, without the need to replace the. We view mils as the secure foundation to protect and enable realtime corbabased sdr systems.

Softwaredefined radio and cognitive radio applied to wireless sensor networks and. New software defined radios for the german army european. Army provides new multichannel capabilities for the battlefield, including wideband networking software defined architecture provides increased flexibility to meet differing mission requirements harris corporation nyse. Bae systems cdl family offers modular terminal, radio frequency rf, and antenna components that provide flexible common data link solutions for a range of applications. The hardware platform is divided into three main sections.