GopJam: Key-less jamming mitigation via gossiping

We propose GopJam, a solution to thwart jamming from a network perspective. GopJam combines a keyless approach with a gossip-based diffusion of the information to be broadcast. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first ones to leverage these two features at the same time. Our contributions are manifold: first, we provide a theoretical model for the message propagation speed and the associated broadcast delay. Later, we test GopJam against two adversarial models: a standard one where the jammer—as widely accepted in the literature— jams a fraction of the radio spectrum; and, a smart one where the jammer exploits a combination of the eavesdropping and jamming functionalities in order to improve its chances to disrupt the propagation of the message. Among the several features enjoyed by GopJam, it is worth noticing that, being keyless, it does not require any pre-shared secret to evade the action of the jammer; therefore, it is particularly suitable for scenarios characterized by a moderate to high network node volatility. Further, GopJam is particularly effective also in benign scenarios (no jamming): our protocol enjoys the characteristics of gossiping protocols, guaranteeing a short delay in network message propagation. For instance, with a fraction of the jammed spectrum equal to δJ = 0.9, and the smart adversary configuration, the protocol requires just about 1000 time slots to deliver the message to the 100% of the nodes (512). Finally, extensive simulations prove the effectiveness of our protocol in delivering the message to all the network nodes in each of the considered scenarios (benign scenario, standard jammer, and the newly introduced smart jammer). This work, other than being relevant on its own, also paves the way to further research in the brand new area of gossip-based counter-jamming techniques.