Toward secure trading of unlicensed spectrum in cyber-physical systems

Cyber-physical systems rely more and more on wireless technologies that operate in unmanaged, unlicensed frequency bands. Already today, this leads to security issues and a significant degradation of network performance due to interference and traffic congestion. Only collaboration between stakeholders leads to a sustainable solution. To facilitate collaboration, we designed a platform that heavily relies on the concept of Software-Defined Networking, introducing a central controller for programmable radio parameters. Part of this solution is a Brokering Platform that automates negotiation for spectral resources between access point (AP) operators. In this article we present a novel architecture for a Brokering Platform. We also propose secure distribution of Brokering Platform functionality over the APs using blockchain.