Enhancing reconfigurable intelligent surface security with angle of arrival and angle of departure based full path integrity validation

Abstract

The technology described herein is directed towards monitoring path integrity of a wireless communications path between authorized entities, in which a reconfigurable intelligent surface is part of the signal path between a base station and a user equipment. In one example, an eavesdropping entity intercepts signals to and/or from a base station and user equipment via a reconfigurable intelligent surface, and redirects the intercepted signals to the intended receivers to continue communications. The change in the path from the redirected signals can be detected, e.g., via actual angle of arrival data that does not match expected angle of arrival data. The reconfigurable intelligent surface includes a delay detection network that detects impedance changes corresponding to differential phase changes among unit cells of the reconfigurable intelligent surface, which relates to the actual angle of arrival. In one implementation, generative adversarial network models are used in the monitoring of the signal path.