Guarding Semantic Communication: A Proactive Security Mechanism Against Eavesdropping

Zongyao Zhang, Kun Zhu, Yuanyuan Xu, Juan Li

Abstract: Semantic communication, as a next-generation communication technology, has proven to be highly effective in different tasks. However, the inherently open nature of wireless channels makes semantic communication systems particularly vulnerable to security risks, with eavesdropping being a primary concern. Despite these risks, security issues in semantic communication have not received sufficient attention. To fill this gap, we propose a novel Proactive Security Mechanism (PSM) within the semantic communication network to prevent eavesdroppers from obtaining private data. The main idea of the PSM is to ensure that legitimate users can communicate normally while deceiving eavesdroppers without arousing suspicion. To achieve this, the PSM actively adds controlled perturbations into the transmitted semantic information. To ensure that legitimate receivers can accurately eliminate these perturbations and maintain communication quality, we introduce Communication Identification Codes (CICs) in the PSM, which are assigned by the edge servers of the network. Furthermore, we build a semantic communication system based on the generative model and implement the PSM to verify the effectiveness of the PSM. The simulation results demonstrate that the PSM effectively ensures the privacy and confidentiality of data, thereby safeguarding the security of semantic communication.

External IDs:dblp:conf/wasa/ZhangZXL25