The Internet of Battlefield Things (IoBT) is a subdomain of the Internet of Things (IoT) that applies to a battlefield. Due to the limited communication infrastructure, the entities in the battlefield communicate with each other using Device-2-Device (D2D) communication. D2D is used to send and request extremely sensitive data as well as the location information of other entities. Thus, to execute tasks and avoid information leaks, it is critical to protect the location data of soldiers and equipment. To the best of our knowledge, location privacy issues in IoBT have not been fully investigated. The attackers are expected to probe the network before attacking valuable assets, giving them an advantage over the defenders. This advantage can be offset by using deception-based methods. In this study, we propose a deceptionbased scheme to enhance the location information security of IoBT nodes. A novel encryption method is proposed along with dummy identities and dummy packets. We develop a mathematical model to evaluate the proposed scheme in terms of safety time, probability of failure, and probability of identifying the real packet. The obtained results demonstrate that the proposed method is efficient in reducing the probability of identifying the real location of the communicating entities. We develop NetLogo simulation to validate the mathematical model.

The Internet of Battlefield Things (IoBT) refers to interconnected battlefield equipment/sources for synchronized automated decision making. Due to difficulties unique to the battlefield, such as a lack of infrastructure, the heterogeneity of equipment, and attacks, IoBT networks differ significantly from regular IoT networks. In war scenarios, real-time location information gathering is critical for combat effectiveness and is dependent on network connectivity and information sharing in the presence of an enemy. To maintain connectivity and guarantee the safety of soldiers/equipment, location information must be exchanged. The location, identification, and trajectory of soldiers/devices are all contained in these messages. A malicious attacker may utilize this information to build a complete trajectory of a target node and track it. This paper proposes a location privacy-preserving scheme in IoBT networks using deception-based techniques. Dummy identifier (DID), sensitive areas location privacy enhancement, and silence period concepts are used to minimize the attacker’s ability to track a target node. In addition, to consider the security of the location information, another security layer is proposed, which generates a pseudonym location for the source node to use instead of its real location when sending messages in the network. We develop a Matlab simulation to evaluate our scheme in terms of average anonymity and probability of linkability of the source node. The results show that the proposed method improves the anonymity of the source node. It reduces the attacker’s ability to link the old DID of the source node with its new DID. Finally, the results show further privacy enhancement by applying the sensitive area concept, which is important for IoBT networks.

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