Adversarial Training for Jamming-Robust Channel Estimation in OFDM Systems

Abstract

Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is widely used to mitigate inter-symbol interference (ISI) from multipath fading. However, the open nature of wireless OFDM systems makes them vulnerable to jamming attacks. In this context, pilot jamming is critical as it focuses on corrupting the symbols used for channel estimation and equalization, degrading the system performance. Although neural networks (NNs) can improve channel estimation and mitigate pilot jamming penalty, they are also themselves susceptible to malicious perturbations known as adversarial examples. If the jamming attack is crafted in order to fool the NN, it represents an adversarial example that impairs the proper behavior of OFDM systems. In this work, we explore two machine learning (ML)-based jamming strategies that are especially intended to degrade the performance of ML-based channel estimators, in addition to a traditional Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) jamming attack. These ML-based attacks create noise patterns designed to reduce the precision of the channel estimation process, thereby compromising the reliability and robustness of the communication system. We highlight the vulnerabilities of wireless communication systems to ML-based pilot jamming attacks that corrupts symbols used for channel estimation, leading to system performance degradation. To mitigate these threats, this paper proposes an adversarial training defense mechanism desined to counter jamming attacks. The effectiveness of this defense is validated through simulation results, demonstrating improved channel estimation performance in the presence of jamming attacks. The proposed defense methods aim to enhance the resilience of OFDM systems against pilot jamming attacks, ensuring more robust communication in wireless environments.