Homomorphic Encryption for Secure OTAC Over Multiple Access Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
OTAC systems lack security and privacy mechanisms to protect against eavesdroppers or malicious attackers, as they transmit sensor input data over the air encoded as unencrypted waveforms, making them vulnerable to data acquisition and manipulation.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a combination of over-the-air computing (OTAC) with homomorphic encryption (HE) to secure data transmission and computation over multiple access channels, providing data confidentiality and privacy without relying on physical security schemes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If OTAC transmits sensor input data over the air as unencrypted waveforms, then data transmission efficiency is improved, but security and privacy are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by encrypting sensor data before transmission over the air. The encryption operation is performed in advance at the sensor nodes, converting plaintext data into ciphertext waveforms before they are transmitted through the MAC channel. This ensures that even if the unencrypted waveform structure is exploited for computation, the actual data remains confidential throughout the transmission and aggregation process.
2Measurement precision
If OTAC performs computation over unencrypted data, then computation accuracy is improved, but data confidentiality is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces encryption as an intermediary layer between the data and the computation process. Ciphertext waveforms serve as the intermediary that allows MAC-based computation to proceed while maintaining data confidentiality. The homomorphic properties of the encryption scheme enable accurate computation on encrypted data, and the decryption operation at the aggregator node recovers the exact computational result without ever exposing the plaintext data during transmission or processing.
3Reliability
If OTAC uses encrypted waveforms for computation, then data privacy is protected, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional physical security mechanisms with cryptographic security. Instead of relying on physical protection of devices or channels, the system uses homomorphic encryption to provide security. This substitution reduces the need for complex physical security infrastructure while maintaining strong privacy guarantees through mathematical principles, thereby managing system complexity in a different domain.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If OTAC implements security mechanisms, then protection against eavesdroppers is improved, but resource utilization decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the computation and security functions into a unified process. The MAC-based aggregation operation simultaneously performs data aggregation and maintains security through the homomorphic properties of the encryption scheme. The encryption and decryption operations are performed only at the endpoints (sensor nodes and aggregator node), while the intermediate transmission and aggregation occur in the encrypted domain, eliminating the need for separate security processing steps and reducing overall resource consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to a securing over-the-air computing (OTAC) using encryption techniques, such as homomorphic encryption (HE). Various network components (e.g., a network entity or a user device) can employ a combination of HE and an OTAC configuration to data transmitted between the nodes (e.g., data sent from multiple sensor nodes to an aggregator node). Thus, the combination of HE and OTAC provides a privacy and data confidentiality mechanism over the MAC, facilitating the use of OTAC over a public channel (e.g., the MAC) without the reliance on physical security schemes or other cumbersome mechanisms, among other benefits.