A Sequential Distinguisher for Covert Channel Identification

Covert channels are of two types: (a) timing channel and (b) storage channel. Most previous works have studied these channels from the encoder’s perspective, namely, information theoretic capacity, algorithms and protocols for hiding information etc. This paper investigates the covert channel problem from an passive adversary’s perspective. A sequential distinguisher for storage channel identification by an adversary is proposed and its properties are derived analytically. The impact of correlation in the observations received by the adversary is studied analytically as well as numerically.

[1]  Sergio Verdú,et al.  Bits through queues , 1994, Proceedings of 1994 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory.

[2]  Feller William,et al.  An Introduction To Probability Theory And Its Applications , 1950 .

[3]  J. Andel.  Sequential Analysis , 2022, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Research Design.

[4]  Steven B. Lipner,et al.  A comment on the confinement problem , 1975, SOSP.

[5]  Gustavus J. Simmons,et al.  The Prisoners' Problem and the Subliminal Channel , 1983, CRYPTO.

[6]  Christian Cachin,et al.  An information-theoretic model for steganography , 2004, Inf. Comput..

[7]  Bruce E. Hajek,et al.  An information-theoretic and game-theoretic study of timing channels , 2002, IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory.

[8]  Ira S. Moskowitz,et al.  An analysis of the timed Z-channel , 1996, Proceedings 1996 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy.

[9]  R. Chandramouli,et al.  A generalized sequential sign detector for binary hypothesis testing , 1998, IEEE Signal Processing Letters.

[10]  P. S. Tasker,et al.  DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TRUSTED COMPUTER SYSTEM EVALUATION CRITERIA , 1985 .

[11]  Christian Cachin,et al.  An information-theoretic model for steganography , 1998, Inf. Comput..

[12]  Virgil D. Gligor,et al.  A bandwidth computation model for covert storage channels and its applications , 1988, Proceedings. 1988 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy.

[13]  R. Khan,et al.  Sequential Tests of Statistical Hypotheses. , 1972 .

[14]  I. S. Moskowitz,et al.  Covert channels-here to stay? , 1994, Proceedings of COMPASS'94 - 1994 IEEE 9th Annual Conference on Computer Assurance.