Data Authentication and Dissemination using Watermarking for Net-Centric Operations

The ability to provide positive identification and authentication of data as it is disseminated throughout a network environment remains unsolved for the vast majority of current operational deployments; however, recent advances in steganography and watermarking technology have now begun to provide approaches that address this problem. In combination with traditional encryption, hashing, and time stamping techniques, these technological advances are now able to provide the necessary framework to support proper identification and authentication of data as it traverses a network. The Global Information Grid (GIG) would benefit greatly from such a utility, as the information and applications being distributed across the network have various classification levels. Pikewerks has spent the past six months developing a prototype digital watermarking capability that provides authentication in a net-centric environment. The prototype system allows incoming/outgoing network traffic to be authenticated and forwarded appropriately using driver and hardware components. The successful development and deployment of this data protection platform could eventually lead to a common network watermarking standard for use across the entire Department of Defense. Similarly, this standard will be of great interest to commercial organizations as they seek protection against inappropriate disclosure and dissemination of proprietary intellectual property.