StegoFrameOrder—MAC Layer Covert Network Channel for Wireless IEEE 802.11 Networks

The proposed StegoFrameOrder (SFO) method enables the transmission of covert data in wireless computer networks exploiting non-deterministic algorithms of medium access (such as the distributed coordination function), especially in IEEE 802.11 networks. Such a covert channel enables the possibility of leaking crucial information outside secured network in a manner that is difficult to detect. The SFO method embeds hidden bits of information in the relative order of frames transmitted by wireless terminals operating on the same radio channel. The paper presents an idea of this covert channel, its implementation, and possible variants. The paper also discusses implementing the SFO method in a real environment and the experiments performed in the real-world scenario.

Support for 5G Mission-Critical Applications in Software-Defined IEEE 802.11 Networks

With the emergence of 5G networks and the stringent Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of Mission-Critical Applications (MCAs), co-existing networks are expected to deliver higher-speed connections, enhanced reliability, and lower latency. IEEE 802.11 networks, which co-exist with 5G, continue to be the access choice for indoor networks. However, traditional IEEE 802.11 networks lack sufficient reliability and they have non-deterministic latency. To dynamically control resources in IEEE 802.11 networks, in this paper we propose a delay-aware approach for Medium Access Control (MAC) management via airtime-based network slicing and traffic shaping, as well as user association while using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). To fulfill the QoS requirements, we use Software-Defined Networking (SDN) for airtime-based network slicing and seamless handovers at the Software-Defined Radio Access Network (SD-RAN), while traffic shaping is done at the Stations (STAs). In addition to throughput, channel utilization, and signal strength, our approach monitors the queueing delay at the Access Points (APs) and uses it for centralized network management. We evaluate our approach in a testbed composed of APs controlled by SD-RAN and SDN controllers, with STAs under different workload combinations. Our results show that, in addition to load balancing flows across APs, our approach avoids the ping-pong effect while enhancing the QoS delivery at runtime. Under varying traffic demands, our approach maintains the queueing delay requirements of 5 ms for most of the experiment run, hence drawing closer to MCA requirements.

A Cluster-Based Channel Assignment Technique in IEEE 802.11 Networks

Channel assignment has become a critical configuration task in Wi-Fi networks due to the increasing number and density of devices which use the same frequency band in the radioelectric spectrum. There have been a number of research efforts that propose how to assign channels to the access points of Wi-Fi networks. However, most of them ignore the effect of clients (also called stations or STAs) in channel assignment, instead focusing only on access points (APs). In this paper, we claim that considering STAs in the channel assignment procedure yields better solutions in comparison with those obtained when STAs are ignored. To evaluate this hypothesis we have proposed a heuristic technique that includes the effect of interferences produced by STAs. Results show that taking STAs into account clearly improves the performance of the solutions both in terms of the achieved utility and in terms of the variability of results. We believe that these results will be useful to the design of future channel assignment techniques which consider the effect of STAs.