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THE USE OF NETWORK PROTOCOLS FOR STEGANOGRAPHICAL PURPOSES

Krajnik Lukasz, Ambroziak Robert

Abstract

Network steganography could be used to try to send secret information using computer networks. Transfer of secret information must be carried out in a manner that is hard to detect and compromise covered communication in this way. Only the entities involved in such correspondence should have the right to read the content of message. For other observers, such data exchange should not arise any suspicion. Currently, a lot of interest among scientists is paid to topics of assessment of the suitability of various network protocols for the purpose of carrying out with their help the exchange of classified information. In the literature you can find many items proposing to utilize various network protocols, often supported by the presentation of the application and evaluation of parameters characterizing the proposed method. Among the network protocols described as fit for use steganographical techniques literature represents, among others, as follows: 1. IP - examples described in the literature methods using IP protocol header fields, i.e. IP Identification Field, Do Not Fragment Field (DF); 2. TCP - literature presents several proposals for use TCP initial sequence number (ISN) to hide information; 3. ARP - Address Resolution Protocol - an application PadSteg proposed in [1] uses the ARP request message in steganographical purposes; 4. UDP - although it does not have mechanisms assuring errorless communication can also be the base for the exchange of hidden information; 5. RTP - Real-time Transfer Protocol - is used in most applications that support IP telephony, and generally allows the transfer of audio and video in real time. These protocols, of course, do not exhaust the pool is used for steganographical purposes. Development of new efficient methods of network steganography on the one hand directly expand the capacity to carry out covert exchange of information and the other will affect the development of the field of complementary steganography, or steganalysis. In the era of continuous and ubiquitous exchange of information in a digital representation steganography next to cryptography will be a key tool in the security of data transmission in computer networks.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2017/21/s07.089

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