Peter Honeyman

Bio: Peter Honeyman is an academic researcher from University of Michigan. The author has contributed to research in topics: File system & Self-certifying File System. The author has an hindex of 22, co-authored 77 publications receiving 3514 citations. Previous affiliations of Peter Honeyman include Alcatel-Lucent & Bell Labs.

Hide and seek: an introduction to steganography

Abstract: Although people have hidden secrets in plain sight-now called steganography-throughout the ages, the recent growth in computational power and technology has propelled it to the forefront of today's security techniques. Essentially, the information-hiding process in a steganographic system starts by identifying a cover medium's redundant bits (those that can be modified without destroying that medium's integrity). The embedding process creates a stego medium by replacing these redundant bits with data from the hidden message. This article discusses existing steganographic systems and presents recent research in detecting them via statistical steganalysis. Here, we present recent research and discuss the practical application of detection algorithms and the mechanisms for getting around them.

Preventing privilege escalation

Abstract: We introduce a system that eliminates the need to run programs in privileged process contexts. Using our system, programs run unprivileged but may execute certain operations with elevated privileges as determined by a configurable policy eliminating the need for suid or sgid binaries. We present the design and analysis of the "Systrace" facility which supports fine grained process confinement, intrusion detection, auditing and privilege elevation. It also facilitates the often difficult process of policy generation. With Systrace, it is possible to generate policies automatically in a training session or generate them interactively during program execution. The policies describe the desired behavior of services or user applications on a system call level and are enforced to prevent operations that are not explicitly permitted. We show that Systrace is efficient and does not impose significant performance penalties.

Detecting Steganographic Content on the Internet

Abstract: Steganography is used to hide the occurrence of communication. Recent suggestions in US newspapers indicate that terrorists use steganography to communicate in secret with their accomplices. In particular, images on the Internet were mentioned as the communication medium. While the newspaper articles sounded very dire, none substantiated these rumors. To determine whether there is steganographic content on the Internet, this paper presents a detection framework that includes tools to retrieve images from the world wide web and automatically detect whether they might contain steganographic content. To ascertain that hidden messages exist in images, the detection framework includes a distributed computing framework for launching dictionary attacks hosted on a cluster of loosely coupled workstations. We have analyzed two million images downloaded from eBay auctions and one million images obtained from a USENET archive but have not been able to find a single hidden message.

WALNUT: Waging Doubt on the Integrity of MEMS Accelerometers with Acoustic Injection Attacks

Abstract: Cyber-physical systems depend on sensors to make automated decisions. Resonant acoustic injection attacks are already known to cause malfunctions by disabling MEMS-based gyroscopes. However, an open question remains on how to move beyond denial of service attacks to achieve full adversarial control of sensor outputs. Our work investigates how analog acoustic injection attacks can damage the digital integrity of a popular type of sensor: the capacitive MEMS accelerometer. Spoofing such sensors with intentional acoustic interference enables an out-of-spec pathway for attackers to deliver chosen digital values to microprocessors and embedded systems that blindly trust the unvalidated integrity of sensor outputs. Our contributions include (1) modeling the physics of malicious acoustic interference on MEMS accelerometers, (2) discovering the circuit-level security flaws that cause the vulnerabilities by measuring acoustic injection attacks on MEMS accelerometers as well as systems that employ on these sensors, and (3) two software-only defenses that mitigate many of the risks to the integrity of MEMS accelerometer outputs. We characterize two classes of acoustic injection attacks with increasing levels of adversarial control: output biasing and output control. We test these attacks against 20 models of capacitive MEMS accelerometers from 5 different manufacturers. Our experiments find that 75% are vulnerable to output biasing, and 65% are vulnerable to output control. To illustrate end-to-end implications, we show how to inject fake steps into a Fitbit with a $5 speaker. In our self-stimulating attack, we play a malicious music file from a smartphone's speaker to control the on-board MEMS accelerometer trusted by a local app to pilot a toy RC car. In addition to offering hardware design suggestions to eliminate the root causes of insecure amplification and filtering, we introduce two low-cost software defenses that mitigate output biasing attacks: randomized sampling and 180 degree out-of-phase sampling. These software-only approaches mitigate attacks by exploiting the periodic and predictable nature of the malicious acoustic interference signal. Our results call into question the wisdom of allowing microprocessors and embedded systems to blindly trust that hardware abstractions alone will ensure the integrity of sensor outputs.

Disconnected operation for AFS

Abstract: AFS plays a prominent role in our plans for a mobile workstation. The AFS client manages a cache of the most recently used files and directories. But even when the cache is hot, access to cached data frequently involves some communication with one or more file servers to maintain consistency guarantees. Without network access, cached data is soon rendered unavailable. We have modified the AFS cache manager to offer optimistic consistency guarantees when it can not communicate with a fileserver. When the client reestablishes a connection with the file server, it tries to propagate all file modifications to the server. If conflicts are detected, the replay agent notifies the user that manual resolution is needed. Our system brings the benefits of contemporary distributed computing environments to mobile laptops, offering a fresh look at the potential for nomadic computing.

Handbook of Applied Cryptography

Abstract: From the Publisher: A valuable reference for the novice as well as for the expert who needs a wider scope of coverage within the area of cryptography, this book provides easy and rapid access of information and includes more than 200 algorithms and protocols; more than 200 tables and figures; more than 1,000 numbered definitions, facts, examples, notes, and remarks; and over 1,250 significant references, including brief comments on each paper.

Systems and Methods for Secure Transaction Management and Electronic Rights Protection

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem, wherein it is impossible for an electronic content information provider to provide commercially secure and effective method, for a configurable general-purpose electronic commercial transaction/distribution control system. SOLUTION: In this system, having at least one protected processing environment for safely controlling at least one portion of decoding of digital information, a secure content distribution method comprises a process for encapsulating digital information in one or more digital containers; a process for encrypting at least a portion of digital information; a process for associating at least partially secure control information for managing interactions with encrypted digital information and/or digital container; a process for delivering one or more digital containers to a digital information user; and a process for using a protected processing environment, for safely controlling at least a portion of the decoding of the digital information. COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Digital Watermarking

Abstract: Digital watermarking is a key ingredient to copyright protection. It provides a solution to illegal copying of digital material and has many other useful applications such as broadcast monitoring and the recording of electronic transactions. Now, for the first time, there is a book that focuses exclusively on this exciting technology. Digital Watermarking covers the crucial research findings in the field: it explains the principles underlying digital watermarking technologies, describes the requirements that have given rise to them, and discusses the diverse ends to which these technologies are being applied. As a result, additional groundwork is laid for future developments in this field, helping the reader understand and anticipate new approaches and applications.

Pervasive computing: vision and challenges

Abstract: This article discusses the challenges in computer systems research posed by the emerging field of pervasive computing. It first examines the relationship of this new field to its predecessors: distributed systems and mobile computing. It then identifies four new research thrusts: effective use of smart spaces, invisibility, localized scalability, and masking uneven conditioning. Next, it sketches a couple of hypothetical pervasive computing scenarios, and uses them to identify key capabilities missing from today's systems. The article closes with a discussion of the research necessary to develop these capabilities.