Enhancing Data Transmission Security and Reliability of OFDM-IM for 5G Wireless Communication Systems
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26636/jtit.2026.1.2502Keywords:
5G, chaotic encryption, Lorenz chaotic maps, OFDM-IM, subcarrier index selectionAbstract
Thanks to its improved spectral efficiency and immunity to frequency selective fading, OFDM with index modulation (OFDM-IM) has become a perspective option. Unfortunately, OFDM-IM systems are vulnerable to security risks due to their inherent openness encountered in wireless communications. Conventional encryption techniques, which focus on the upper layers, add complexity and might not be enough to fend off malicious attacks. To improve the selection of subcarrier indexes and modulation of data symbol modulation, this work proposes a new chaotic encryption approach for OFDM-IM systems that uses Lorenz chaotic maps. Comprehensive simulations show that, in comparison to traditional methods, the proposed approach provides better security against eavesdropping while maintaining transmission reliability.
Downloads
References
[1] B. Zhang and L. Liu, "Chaos-based Image Encryption: Review, Application, and Challenges", Mathematics, vol. 11, art. no. 2585, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/math11112585
View in Google Scholar
[2] A. Dogukan and E. Basar, "Super-mode OFDM with Index Modulation", IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, vol. 19, pp. 7353-7362, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TWC.2020.3010839
View in Google Scholar
[3] X. Cheng, M. Zhang, M. Wen, and L. Yang, "Index Modulation for 5G: Striving to Do More with Less", IEEE Wireless Communication, vol. 25, pp. 126-132, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/MWC.2018.1600355
View in Google Scholar
[4] X. Cheng, L. Wen, L. Yang, and Y. Li, "Index Modulated OFDM with Interleaved Grouping for V2X Communications", 17th International IEEE Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSC), Qingdao, China, 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ITSC.2014.6957834
View in Google Scholar
[5] E. Basar, U. Aygolu, E. Panayirci, and H.V. Poor, "Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing with Index Modulation", IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, vol. 61, pp. 5536-5549, 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TSP.2013.2279771
View in Google Scholar
[6] J. Wang et al., "A High-security Physical Layer Encryption Scheme for Dual-mode Index Modulation-aided OFDM in Magnetic Induction Communication", Optics Letters, vol. 50, pp. 285-288, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.544682
View in Google Scholar
[7] H. Li, X. Wang, and J. Yves, "Eavesdropping-resilient OFDM System Using Sorted Subcarrier Interleaving", IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, vol. 14, pp. 1155-1165, 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TWC.2014.2365031
View in Google Scholar
[8] A.A. Purwita, A. Yesilkaya, M. Safari, and H. Haas, "Generalized Time Slot Index Modulation for Optical Wireless Communications", IEEE Transactions on Communications, vol. 68, pp. 3706-3719, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TCOMM.2020.2979845
View in Google Scholar
[9] G. Cai et al., "Design of a MISO-SWIPT-aided Code-index Modulated Multi-carrier M-DCSK System for e-health IoT", IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, vol. 39, pp. 311-324, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/JSAC.2020.3020603
View in Google Scholar
[10] L. Fan, Q. Jiang, and F. Liu, "OFDM-based Waveform Design in Artificial Noise Aided Secure Communication", 2nd International Conference on Electronics Technology (ICET), Chengdu, China, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ELTECH.2019.8839524
View in Google Scholar
[11] L. Fan et al., "Joint Resource Allocation for Temporal Artificial Noise Assisted Multiuser Wiretap OFDM Channels with Finite-alphabet Inputs", 2nd International Conference on Electronics Technology (ICET), Chengdu, China, 2019. -0.3pt DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ELTECH.2019.8839391
View in Google Scholar
[12] J.M. Hamamreh, E. Basar, and H. Arslan, "OFDM-subcarrier Index Selection for Enhancing Security and Reliability of 5G URLLC Services", IEEE ACCESS, vol. 5, pp. 25863-25875, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2017.2768558
View in Google Scholar
[13] Y. Lee, H. Jo, Y. Ko, and J. Choi, "Secure Index and Data Symbol Modulation for OFDM-IM", IEEE ACCESS, vol. 5, pp. 24959-24974, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2017.2768540
View in Google Scholar
[14] X. Zhang, S. Zhang, and Z. Qiao, "A Chaos-based Encryption Scheme for OFDM-IM Systems", 2021 IEEE Symposium on Computers and Communications (ISCC), Athens, Greece, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ISCC53001.2021.9631386
View in Google Scholar
[15] H.N. Abdullah, T.R. Saeed, and A.H. Sahar, "Suboptimal Detection of Modified Logistic Map-based Chaos Shift Keying Modulation", UPB Scientific Bulletin, Series C, vol. 80, pp. 85-94, 2018.
View in Google Scholar
[16] P. Robertson, E. Villebrun, and P. Hoeher, "A Comparison of Optimal and Sub-optimal MAP Decoding Algorithms Operating in the Log Domain", IEEE International Conference on Communications ICC '95, Seattle, USA, 1995.
View in Google Scholar
[17] H.N. Abdullah, T.R. Saeed, and A.H. Sahar, "Efficient Error Correcting Scheme for Chaos Shift Keying Signals", International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering (IJECE), vol. 9, pp. 3550-3557, 2019 (http://doi.org/10.11591/ijece.v9i5.pp3550-3557). DOI: https://doi.org/10.11591/ijece.v9i5.pp3550-3557
View in Google Scholar
[18] M. Wen, X. Cheng, and L. Yang, "Optimizing the Energy Efficiency of OFDM with Index Modulation", 2014 IEEE International Conference on Communication Systems, Macau, China, 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCS.2014.7024760
View in Google Scholar
[19] Y. Ko and J. Choi, "Sparse Multi-carrier Index Keying OFDM with Index Separation over Correlated Sub-carriers", 2015 International Conference on Information and Communication Technology Convergence (ICTC), Jeju, South Korea, 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICTC.2015.7354553
View in Google Scholar
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Asaad H. Sahar, Aqiel N. Almamori, Muhannad Y. Muhsin

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.