Pick the Jam: A Statistical Test for Jamming Detection in Wireless Links

Wireless network technologies offer ubiquitous services at unbelievable ease and cost. The reach of network coverage is far beyond perception. Every human has the potential for communication with the technology advancements in the wireless arena and it is integral to daily lives with internet, television broadcast, weather forecast and satellite-based positioning. The wide reach and ease of access makes the wireless link vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks. Here we deal with the most prominent attack in the wireless domain, the jamming attack in terrestrial and satellite links. A detection mechanism based on Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistical test proves to be an efficient solution for the detection of the presence of the jammer in satellite scenarios. This thesis introduces the detection methodology and the associated performance analysis. The analysis takes into account real measurements from different locations and several configuration parameters such the jamming power and the distance between the jammer and the satellite receiver. The proposed solution is able to reach a detection probability of 0.8 (worst case) while guaranteeing a detection probability of almost 100% for the vast majority of the considered configurations.