Jamming Attacks and Anti-Jamming Strategies in Wireless Networks: A Comprehensive Survey

• Published in: IEEE Communications surveys and tutorials 2022-01, Vol.24 (2), p.767-809
• Main Authors: Pirayesh, Hossein, Zeng, Huacheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: anti-jamming strategy; Bluetooth; cellular; Cellular communication; Cellular radio; Cognitive radio; Communication system security; denial-of-services attacks; GPS; Jamming; jamming attacks; Local area networks; LoRa; machine learning; millimeter (mmWave); Millimeter waves; Packets (communication); physical-layer security; RFID; Vehicles; vehicular networks; Wi-Fi; Wireless communication; Wireless fidelity; Wireless networks; Wireless security; Wireless sensor networks; Zigbee
• ISSN: 1553-877X; 2373-745X
• DOI: 10.1109/COMST.2022.3159185

Wireless networks are a key component of the telecommunications infrastructure in our society, and wireless services become increasingly important as the applications of wireless devices have penetrated every aspect of our lives. Although wireless technologies have significantly advanced in the past decades, most wireless networks are still vulnerable to radio jamming attacks due to the openness nature of wireless channels, and the progress in the design of jamming-resistant wireless networking systems remains limited. This stagnation can be attributed to the lack of practical physical-layer wireless technologies that can efficiently decode data packets in the presence of jamming attacks. This article surveys existing jamming attacks and anti-jamming strategies in wireless local area networks (WLANs), cellular networks, cognitive radio networks (CRNs), ZigBee networks, Bluetooth networks, vehicular networks, LoRa networks, RFID networks, GPS system, millimeter-wave (mmWave) and learning-assisted wireless systems, with the objective of offering a comprehensive knowledge landscape of existing jamming and anti-jamming strategies and therefore stimulating more research efforts to secure wireless networks against jamming attacks. Different from prior survey papers, this article conducts a comprehensive, in-depth review on jamming and anti-jamming strategies, casting insights on the design of jamming-resilient wireless networking systems. An outlook on promising anti-jamming techniques is offered at the end of this article to delineate important research directions.