Currently, there are several ongoing efforts for the definition of new regulation policies, paradigms, and technologies\naiming a more efficient usage of the radio spectrum. In this context, cognitive radio (CR) emerges as one of the most\npromising players by enabling the dynamic access to vacant frequency bands on a non-interference basis. However,\nthe intrinsic characteristic of CR opens new ways for attackers, namely in the context of the effective detection of\nincumbent or primary users (PUs), the most fundamental and challenging requirement for the successful operation of\nCR networks. In this article, we provide a global and integrated vision of the main threats affecting CR environments in\nthe context of the detection of primary users, with a particular focus on spectrum sensing data falsification and primary\nuser emulation attacks. We also address solutions and research challenges still required to address such threats. Our\ndiscussion aims at being complete and self-contained, while also targeting readers with no specific background on this\nimportant topic of CR environments. It is, as far as our knowledge goes, the first work providing a global and clear\nvision of security threats and countermeasures in the context of primary user detection in CR.
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