Security in Cognitive Radio Networks: The Required Evolution in Approaches to Wireless Network Security

This paper discusses the topic of wireless security in cognitive radio networks, delineating the key challenges in this area. With the ever-increasing scarcity of spectrum, cognitive radios are expected to become an increasingly important part of the overall wireless networking landscape. However, there is an important technical area that has received little attention to date in the cognitive radio paradigm: wireless security. The cognitive radio paradigm introduces entirely new classes of security threats and challenges, and providing strong security may prove to be the most difficult aspect of making cognitive radio a long-term commercially-viable concept. This paper delineates the key challenges in providing security in cognitive networks, discusses the current security posture of the emerging IEEE 802.22 cognitive radio standard, and identifies potential vulnerabilities along with potential mitigation approaches.