Security of Classic PN-Spreading Codes for Hybrid DS/FH Spread-Spectrum Systems

Hybrid direct sequence/frequency hopping (DS/FH) spread-spectrum communication systems have recently received considerable interest in commercial applications in addition to their use in military communications because they accommodate high data rates with high link integrity, even in the presence of significant multipath effects and interfering signals. The security of hybrid DS/FH systems strongly depends on the choice of PN-spreading code employed. In this paper, we examine the security, in terms of unicity distance, of linear maximal-length, Gold, and Kasami PN-spreading codes for DS, FH, and hybrid DS/FH spread-spectrum systems without additional encryption methods. The unicity distance is a measure of the minimum amount of ciphertext required by an eavesdropper to uniquely determine the specific key used in a cryptosystem and hence break the cipher. Numerical results are presented to compare the security of the considered PN-spreading codes under known-ciphertext attacks.