On a General Theoretical Framework for Radio Frequency Fingerprint-Based Authentication

2026-08-07

AI Summary

This work addresses the lack of a general theoretical foundation for radio frequency fingerprinting (RFF) as a reliable device identifier, which has hindered its practical deployment in authentication systems. The paper proposes the first unified framework that theoretically links the physical formation mechanisms of RFFs to their core authentication properties—uniqueness, stability, distinguishability, and unforgeability. By integrating signal modeling, information-theoretic analysis, and formal security characterization, the framework systematically elucidates how RFFs are generated, evolve, and are observed across the transmitter–channel–receiver chain. This study establishes an interpretable and verifiable theoretical basis for RFF-based authentication, enabling co-design of communication and security functionalities and significantly enhancing the trustworthiness and feasibility of RFF deployment in real-world systems.

Abstract

While radio frequency fingerprint (RFF)-based wireless device authentication has been widely studied across different datasets and scenarios, there still lacks a fundamental theory to explain why and how RFF can serve as a reliable device identity, significantly hindering the practical application of such an authentication technology. In this article, we integrate the RFF modeling with authentication property analysis to propose a general theoretical framework to facilitate the development of such a theory. The RFF modeling process reveals how RFFs are induced, evolved and observed along the transmitter-channel-receiver chain, built upon which, the authentication property analysis process then outlines how the trustworthiness of an RFF should be examined in terms of its uniqueness, stability, distinguishability, and unforgeability. By linking the RFF formation/evolution to these authentication properties, the framework offers a solid foundation for understanding why and how RFF-based authentication is trustworthy in practice. We also discuss the communication-authentication co-design issue based on the theoretical insights from the proposed framework.

Problem

• radio frequency fingerprint
• device authentication
• theoretical framework
• uniqueness
• stability

Innovation

• radio frequency fingerprint
• theoretical framework
• device authentication
• authentication properties
• communication-authentication co-design