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Main Authors: Fang, Zexin, Han, Bin, Han, Zhu, Zhao, Yufei, Guan, Yong Liang, Schotten, Hans D.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.19521
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author Fang, Zexin
Han, Bin
Han, Zhu
Zhao, Yufei
Guan, Yong Liang
Schotten, Hans D.
author_facet Fang, Zexin
Han, Bin
Han, Zhu
Zhao, Yufei
Guan, Yong Liang
Schotten, Hans D.
contents This paper investigates security vulnerabilities and countermeasures for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Fifth Generation New Radio (5G-NR) Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA)-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) localization in low-altitude urban environments. We first optimize node selection strategies under Air to Ground (A2G) channel conditions, proving that optimal selection depends on UAV altitude and deployment density, and propose lightweight User Equipment (UE)-assisted approaches that reduce overhead while enhancing accuracy. Next, we then expose critical security vulnerabilities by introducing merged-peak spoofing attacks where rogue UAVs transmit multiple 5G-NR Positioning Reference Signalss (PRSs) that merge with legitimate signals, bypassing existing detection methods. Through theoretical modeling and sensitivity analysis, we quantify how synchronization quality and geometric factors determine spoofing success probability, thereby revealing fundamental weaknesses in current 3GPP positioning frameworks. To address these vulnerabilities, we design a network-centric anomaly detection framework at the Localization Management Function (LMF) using 3GPP-specified parameters, coupled with recursive gradient descent-based robust localization that filters anomalous data while estimating UAV position. Our unified framework simultaneously provides robust victim localization and spoofer localization, enabling active attacker attribution beyond passive defense. Extensive simulations validate the effectiveness of our optimization and security mechanisms for 3GPP-compliant UAV positioning.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_19521
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Network-Centric Anomaly Filtering and Spoofer localization for 5G-NR Localization in LAWNs
Fang, Zexin
Han, Bin
Han, Zhu
Zhao, Yufei
Guan, Yong Liang
Schotten, Hans D.
Signal Processing
This paper investigates security vulnerabilities and countermeasures for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Fifth Generation New Radio (5G-NR) Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA)-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) localization in low-altitude urban environments. We first optimize node selection strategies under Air to Ground (A2G) channel conditions, proving that optimal selection depends on UAV altitude and deployment density, and propose lightweight User Equipment (UE)-assisted approaches that reduce overhead while enhancing accuracy. Next, we then expose critical security vulnerabilities by introducing merged-peak spoofing attacks where rogue UAVs transmit multiple 5G-NR Positioning Reference Signalss (PRSs) that merge with legitimate signals, bypassing existing detection methods. Through theoretical modeling and sensitivity analysis, we quantify how synchronization quality and geometric factors determine spoofing success probability, thereby revealing fundamental weaknesses in current 3GPP positioning frameworks. To address these vulnerabilities, we design a network-centric anomaly detection framework at the Localization Management Function (LMF) using 3GPP-specified parameters, coupled with recursive gradient descent-based robust localization that filters anomalous data while estimating UAV position. Our unified framework simultaneously provides robust victim localization and spoofer localization, enabling active attacker attribution beyond passive defense. Extensive simulations validate the effectiveness of our optimization and security mechanisms for 3GPP-compliant UAV positioning.
title Network-Centric Anomaly Filtering and Spoofer localization for 5G-NR Localization in LAWNs
topic Signal Processing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.19521