Security issues in visible light communication systems

Visible light communication (VLC) has been recently proposed as an alternative standard to radio-based wireless networks. Because of its physical characteristics, and in line with the slogan “what you see is what you send”, VLC is considered a secure communication method. In this work we focus on security aspects of VLC communication, starting from basic physical characteristics of the communication channel. We analyze the risks of signal jamming, data snooping and modification. We also discuss MAC-level security mechanisms as defined in the IEEE 802.15.7 standard.