Forensic Hash for Assured Cyber-based Sensing and Communications

本研究的目的是解决可信传感和通信方面的挑战，因为内容丰富的视听流越来越适应于个人接收器的动态。该项目在传感和通信领域开发了一种新的用于信息保障的取证哈希（FASHION）框架。该框架利用战略设计的紧凑字符串和相关的决策机制来超越传统散列和非侵入式取证的能力。该框架以更高的准确性和效率提供了关于数据完整性、来源和处理历史的更多取证答案，克服了目前“一刀切”的困境，使信任评估能够达到更高的水平。主要调查内容包括：哪些证据信息形成取证哈希；如何对取证哈希进行紧凑、安全的编码，并将其与源数据进行鲁棒、安全的关联；进攻策略和反击；并开发一个试验台，对所提出的框架进行实验评估。智力上的优点在于探索超越现有技术的信息取证哈希的未知领域，推进可靠网络传感和通信的理论和算法，并为社区提供新的能力和工具。特别是，该提案利用了非侵入性取证的最新进展，为基于网络的传感和通信的可信度评估增加了灵活性，并揭示了更丰富的信息。所提出的研究有可能在信息取证领域开辟一个新的研究领域，这与网络基础设施的健康和发展非常相关。拟议的研究如果成功，可能会对国家利益的许多应用产生重大影响，包括美国IT基础设施，因为传感和通信视听数据已成为政府运作和高科技产业服务的核心部分，其持续成功对美国至关重要美国的经济繁荣。更广泛的影响来自于通过框架的测试平台和特殊荣誉项目将研究与教育/推广无缝整合，积极吸引和培养代表性不足的学生，以发展成功的工程职业生涯。

The objective of this research is to address the challenge in trustworthy sensing and communications, as content-rich audio-visual streams become increasingly adapted on-the-fly for individual receivers. The proposed project develops a novel framework of Forensic Hash for Information Assurance (FASHION) in sensing and communications. The framework utilizes a strategically designed compact string and the associated decision mechanism to transcend the capabilities of conventional hash and non-intrusive forensics. Offering more forensic answers about data integrity, origin, and processing history in higher accuracy and efficiency, the proposed framework overcomes the current one-size-fit-all dilemma to enable trust assessment to a high level. The main investigations include: what evidentiary information to form forensic hash; theories and algorithms on how to compactly and securely encode forensic hash, and robustly and securely associate it with source data; attack strategies and counter-attacks; and developing a Testbed for experimental evaluation of the proposed framework.The intellectual merit lies in exploring the unchartered area of Information Forensic Hash that transcends from prior art, advancing theories and algorithms of assured cyber sensing and communications, and providing new capabilities and tools to the community. In particular, the proposal leverages recent advances in non-intrusive forensics to add flexibility and reveal richer information for trustworthiness assessment of cyber-based sensing and communications. The proposed research has the potential to open a new research area in information forensics which is very relevant to the health and development of the cyber-infrastructure.The proposed research, if successful, could have significant impact on many applications of national interests, including the US IT infrastructure, as sensing and communicating audio-visual data have become a central part in government operations and in services by the high-tech industry, whose continuing success is critical to U.S.'s economic prosperity. The broader impact comes from the seamlessly integration of research with education/outreach through the framework's Testbed and special honor programs, to actively attract and nurture under-represented students to develop a successful engineering career.