@article{M43780688,
title = "A Security-Aware Uplink Power Allocation Technique in IEEE 802.11ax WLANs",
journal = "The Transactions of the Korea Information Processing Society",
year = "2025",
issn = "null",
doi = "https://doi.org/10.3745/TKIPS.2025.14.2.53",
author = "Hyunju Park, Wonjun Lee",
keywords = "IEEE 802.11ax, WLAN, OFDMA, Physical Layer Security, Multi User Interference",
abstract = "With the advancement of wireless communication technologies, modern WLAN systems enable flexible data transmission through wireless 
networks. The latest Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 standards significantly improve speed, efficiency, and connectivity, making them suitable for 
applications in smart homes, industrial IoT, and densely populated environments. However, current WLAN security mainly relies on 
cryptographic key-based methods based on Shannon's security model, which may not be sufficient in the approaching quantum 
cryptography era. In this paper, we propose a technique to enhance security by leveraging the multi-resource features of OFDMA, a 
key element introduced in the latest WLAN standards. Our method leverages artificial multi-user interference among legitimate users without 
adding extra interfering sources, thus reducing the effectiveness of eavesdropping. This study is the first to discuss power allocation for 
enhancing security in the OFDMA uplink. It holds practical significance by proposing a power allocation technique for uplink security 
while considering the standards outlined in IEEE 802.11ax. We introduce an algorithm that adjusts resource allocation and power to 
intentionally create interference in secure communication channels. Performance evaluations using SDR equipment show that the proposed 
approach improves security, as demonstrated by enhancements in bit error rate and security rate compared to well-known power allocation 
algorithms."
}