Stochastic Geometry Analysis of Reference Signal Spoofing Attack in Wireless Cellular Networks

Abstract

Cell association is a critical aspect of cellular network operation wherein mobile terminals (MTs) connect to optimal base stations before commencing data transmission and reception. This paper investigates a novel physical layer security problem wherein malicious base stations (MBSs) seek to subvert the cell association process by spoofing the common reference signals of legitimate base stations (LBSs). Since these signals are used by MTs to measure signal strength, the MBSs thus attempt to increase the likelihood of MT radio link failure (RLF). A stochastic geometry approach using a Poisson point process (PPP) to model the random locations of LBSs and MBSs is used to analyze the impact of this attack. We analytically derive the conditional probability of the RLF given a suboptimal association triggered by MBSs and verify the theoretical results using simulations. This paper also presents insights on the appropriate ranges of thresholds for MTs seeking association with LBSs and claiming RLF using the conditional RLF probability triggered by MBS attacks.