Secrecy of WSN Data Over Nakagami-m Fading Channels with Selection Combining Diversity

We consider the security of wireless sensor network (WSN) data over Nakagami - m fading channels at the physical layer. A WSN in which the fusion center performs selection diversity has been considered for better quality reception. The links between the WSN node and fusion center are assumed to follow Nakagami-m fading distribution. Closed-form expressions for secrecy outage probability (SOP) are derived, and it is established that SOP analysis also leads to the analysis of the existence of secrecy as a special case of SOP. The analytical expressions have been validated through results from simulations. The analysis is valid for all positive real values of the fading parameter, m. The limits on the signal-to-noise ratio can be obtained to secure the transmitted data against eavesdropping with the required SOP and secrecy rate using the analysis presented in this paper.