Secure Performance of 5G and Beyond Networks under Generalized Fading Conditions.

Abstract

Due to the wireless medium's broadcast nafure, privacy and information security issues are critical concerns commonly addressed in all generations of mobile comrnunications. Recently, building on the foundations of lnformation Theory, physical layer security (PLS) has become a promising approach for protecting data in upcoming wireless networks. PLS takes advantage of the inherent randomness of the wireless channel (e.g., noise, interference. and fading) to protect data from unauthorized nodes. Several works proposed in the literature concerning PLS performance over fading channels are based on simplistic models. Based on the aforementioned, this thesis aims to provide a comprehensive study of PLS performance under generalized fading channel models. It is worth mentioning that this research only considers those fading channel models that have proven to accurately characterize radio propagation in millimeter waves (mm-Wave) communications. The channel models considered for the proposed scenarios are K-p shadowed and N-Rays with Diffuse Power. Finally, inspired by the potential of reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) fbr customizing and controlling the radio environment in future networks. This work also explores the FLS perfomance of a RIS-assisted wireless communications system. Our findings reveal that incorporating RIS into 6G networks improves security performance at the physical layer level"