Experimental verification of possibility of secret encryption keys distribution with a phase method in a multipath environment

Abstract

The paper addresses a problem of creating a system for generation and distribution of shared secret encryption key based on the physical properties of multipath radio propagation. A multipath radio channel with reciprocal properties is considered as a source of shared randomness, as the phase of the passed through multipath environment signal becomes unpredictable. The paper presents the results of experimental verification of feasibility of the generation and distribution of shared secret encryption key based on measurements of random phase of a multipath signal. The problem of checking the symmetry of instances of the generated shared encryption key through the exchange of cyclic redundancy codes is considered. The probability of a bit asymmetry of the generated from the experimental phase measurements instances of the shared encryption key is evaluated. The effectiveness of encryption key distribution process is estimated. © 2013 IEEE.