Covert Channels and Anonymizing Networks

Abstract

There have long been threads of investigation into covert channels, and threads of investigation into anonymity, but these two closely related areas of information hiding have not been directly associated. This paper represents an initial inquiry into the relationship between covert channel capacity and anonymity, and poses more questions than it answers. Even this preliminary work has proven difficult, but in this investigation lies the hope of a deeper understanding of the nature of both areas. MIXes have been used for anonymity, where the concern is shielding the identity of the sender or the receiver of a message, or both. In contrast to traffic analysis prevention methods which conceal larger traffic patterns, we are concerned with how much information a sender to a MIX can leak to an eavesdropping outsider, despite the concealment efforts orts of MIXes acting as firewalls.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 30, 2003
Accession Number
ADA465268

Entities

People

  • Allen R Miller
  • Daniel P. Crepeau
  • Ira S. Moskowitz
  • Richard E. Newman

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Anonymous Communications
  • Channel Capacity
  • Coding
  • Communication Channels
  • Data Rate
  • Eavesdropping
  • Information Operations
  • Information Theory
  • Military Research
  • Notation
  • Probability
  • Random Variables
  • Standards
  • Symbols
  • Transmitters
  • Transmitting

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Computer Networking
  • Cybersecurity.
  • Theoretical Analysis.