A Pseudo-Random Beamforming Technique for Improving Physical-Layer Security of MIMO Cellular Networks

In this paper, we propose a pseudo-random beamforming (PRBF) technique for improving physical-layer security (PLS) in multiple input multiple output (MIMO) downlink cellular networks consisting of a legitimate base station (BS), multiple legitimate mobile stations (MSs) and potential eavesdroppers. The legitimate BS can obtain available potential eavesdroppers’ channel state information (CSI), which is registered in an adjacent cell. In the proposed PRBF technique, the legitimate BS pseudo-randomly generates multiple candidates of the transmit beamforming (BF) matrix, in which each transmit BF matrix consists of multiple orthonormal BF vectors and shares BF information with legitimate MSs before data transmission. Each legitimate MS generates receive BF vectors to maximize the receive signal-to-interference-plus-noise (SINR) for all pseudo-randomly generated transmit beams and calculates the corresponding SINR. Then, each legitimate MS sends a single beam index and the corresponding SINR value of the BF vector that maximizes the received SINR for each BF matrix since a single spatial stream is sent to each legitimate MS. Based on the feedback information from legitimate MSs and the CSI from the legitimate BS to eavesdroppers, the legitimate BS selects the optimal transmit BF matrix and the legitimate MSs that maximizes secrecy sum-rate. We also propose a codebook-based opportunistic feedback (CO-FB) strategy to reduce feedback overhead at legitimate MSs. Based on extensive computer simulations, the proposed PRBF with the proposed CO-FB significantly outperforms the conventional random beamforming (RBF) with the conventional opportunistic feedback (O-FB) strategies in terms of secrecy sum-rate and required feedback bits.