Covert Multi-Hop Communications for Heterogeneous Networks With Multiple Wardens

Abstract

This paper investigates covert multi-hop communications in heterogeneous wireless networks monitored by multiple passive wardens. To maximize network-wide covertness while satisfying a strict end-to-end rate requirement, we jointly optimize routing, modality selection, and transmit power. Under a simultaneous multi-hop transmission scheme, we analyze the detection capabilities of two distinct warden models: colluding wardens employing a central fusion center, and non-colluding wardens operating independently. For both models, we derive optimal detectors and exact expressions for the detection error probability (DEP). In addition, to reduce the complexity of evaluating the DEP, we develop highly accurate closed-form approximations based on gamma moment matching and establish rigorous DEP lower bounds using Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence. Building on this theoretical foundation, we propose an efficient two-stage optimization algorithm that decouples link-level resource allocation from network-level path selection. By translating the KL divergence bounds into a novel, low-complexity routing metric, which universally simplifies to a linear summation of signal-to-noise ratios, we substantially reduce the computational overhead compared to conventional per-hop detection-based metrics. Finally, numerical simulations validate the theoretical analysis and demonstrate the near-optimal performance of the proposed framework.