IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications

In decentralized federated learning (FL), multiple clients collaboratively learn a shared machine learning (ML) model by leveraging their privately held datasets distributed across the network, through interactive exchange of intermediate model updates. To ensure data security, cryptographic techniques are commonly employed to protect model updates during aggregation. Despite growing interest in …

Motivated by International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT)-2030, sixth generation (6G) mobile networks in 3GPP (third-generation partner project) commenced with a workshop in March 2025, attracting more than 200 contributions and 700 in-person attendances. While the details of 6G study and the eventual 6G specifications in 3GPP are yet to be developed, there is strong motivation in 3GPP to focus …

The fundamental information-theoretic limits of covert, or low probability of detection/intercept (LPD/LPI), communication have been extensively studied for over a decade, resulting in the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">square root law</i> (SRL): only <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w…

Stacked intelligent metasurfaces (SIM) have become a promising technology to improve the wave-domain signal processing and increase the wireless communication capacity. However, optimizing the phase configuration remains a significant challenge due to the discrete and highly combinatorial nature of the multi-layer architecture. To address this, we propose a quantum-inspired coordinated design fra…

With the advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Explainable AI (XAI), Deep Learning (DL) algorithms become increasingly vulnerable to adversarial machine learning (AML) threats. One of the widely used DL-based applications in wireless communication is the Automatic Modulation Classification (AMC). In this paper, we investigate XAI methods for designing AML attacks in DL-based AMC systems…

The proliferation of hidden WiFi cameras has raised serious privacy concerns, making their accurate detection and localization essential for the secure development of future intelligent wireless networks. However, existing solutions often require substantial user involvement, large movement spaces, predefined system parameters, or pre-collected training data, limiting their practicality and scala…

A sensing-aided covert communication network empowered by pinching antenna systems (PASS) is proposed in this work. Unlike conventional fixed-position multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) arrays, PASS reconfigures wireless channels by repositioning pinching antennas (PAs) to enhance transmission covertness. To further obtain the adversary’s channel state information (CSI), a sensing function is …

Terahertz (THz) band unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) links exploit ultra-wide spectra and high directivity to deliver multi-Gbps secure data for remote sensing and wireless backhaul, but their open three-dimensional flight paths increase vulnerability to covert detection and jamming. Altitude-dependent atmospheric loss, negligible in microwave or terrestrial THz studies, becomes critical in this ba…

This paper proposes a multi-user integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) framework based on coded generalized spatial shift keying (MU-CGSSK) that enables secure, interference-free downlink transmission alongside high-resolution radar sensing. The system adopts a separated deployment model, allowing simultaneous communication and sensing over a shared frequency band using co-located antenna a…

This paper proposes a novel IRS-aided framework for secure sensing, which aims to minimize the worst-case Cram´er-Rao Bound (WC-CRB) within an entire surveillance area by optimizing the IRS reflecting beamforming, enabling reliable and secure localization of arbitrary and unknown targets. Specifically, we first establish a general IRS-aided localization coverage model and derive the closed-form e…

This paper addresses precoder design for secure multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) systems. We introduce a MIMO channel with a multiple-antenna eavesdropper and a multiple-antenna sensing receiver (MIMO-ME-MS) and analyze the fundamental performance limits of this tripartite tradeoff. Using sensing mutual information, we formulate the precoder desig…

In this paper, we consider a synthetic aperture secure beamforming approach for a virtual multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) broadcast channel in the presence of hybrid wiretapping environments. Our goal is to design the flight node deployment constructed by a single-antenna mobile autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV), corresponding transmission symbol strategy, transmit precoding, and received bea…

This paper introduces a unified learning framework for Byzantine-resilient spectrum sensing and secure transmission in intelligent reflecting surface (IRS)-assisted networks under channel state information (CSI) uncertainty. The sensing module employs robust Bayesian belief updates with adversary-resistant aggregation and consensus, guaranteeing reliable primary user (PU) detection even when a bo…

The open and vulnerable nature of wireless channels exacerbates security risks in integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) systems, especially when the sensing targets act as potential eavesdroppers (Eves), and these risks intensify with collusion among Eves. To address this challenge, this paper investigates a novel strategy for a robust reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS)-assisted secu…

This paper proposes a secure active reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS)-assisted multiple input multiple output integrated sensing, communication, and computation over-theair system. Distributed sensors simultaneously sense targets and transmit private data to an access point (AP) via over-the-air computation, while a passive eavesdropper attempts to intercept. We formulate a joint optimiza…

Precise positioning and identification of unauthorized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are of crucial importance for spectrum security and privacy protection in future intelligent networks. Although various single-modality approaches have been investigated, their performance degrades under the sensor-specific noise, resulting in suboptimal performance and robustness. To address these security cha…

Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) systems promise unprecedented capabilities by merging connectivity and situational awareness, but also expose new attack surfaces at the physical layer. In this work, we demonstrate a blind full-frame OFDM replay attack that manipulates sensing outputs by injecting false targets and concealing real ones, without disrupting communication. The blind natur…

While printers are widely regarded as trusted peripherals, their internal mechanical execution reveals subtle vibrational patterns that can leak document structure. We present VibraPrint, a passive mmWave sensing system that infers high-level document attributes—such as page count, content density, and template type—as well as finer-grained structural cues including line count, per-line text amou…

Deep joint source-channel coding (DeepJSCC) has emerged as a promising paradigm for efficient and robust information transmission. However, its intrinsic characteristics also pose new security challenges, notably an increased vulnerability to eavesdropping attacks. Existing studies on defending against eavesdropping attacks in DeepJSCC, while demonstrating certain effectiveness, often incur consi…

The problem of model privacy against an eavesdropper (Eve) in a distributed learning environment is investigated. The solution is found via evaluating the Fisher Information Matrix (FIM) for the model learning problem for Eve. Through a model shift design process, the eavesdropper’s FIM can be driven to singularity, yielding a provably hard estimation problem for Eve. Both a one-shot and multi-sh…