Exploiting loop transformations for the protection of software

Il software conserva la maggior parte del know-how che occorre per svilupparlo. Poich\ue9 oggigiorno il software pu\uf2 essere facilmente duplicato e ridistribuito ovunque, il rischio che la propriet\ue0 intellettuale venga violata su scala globale \ue8 elevato. Una delle pi\uf9 interessanti soluzioni a questo problema \ue8 dotare il software di un watermark. Ai watermark si richiede non solo di certificare in modo univoco il proprietario del software, ma anche di essere resistenti e pervasivi. In questa tesi riformuliamo i concetti di robustezza e pervasivit\ue0 a partire dalla semantica delle tracce. Evidenziamo i cicli quali costrutti di programmazione pervasivi e introduciamo le trasformazioni di ciclo come mattone di costruzione per schemi di watermarking pervasivo. Passiamo in rassegna alcune fra tali trasformazioni, studiando i loro principi di base. Infine, sfruttiamo tali principi per costruire una tecnica di watermarking pervasivo. La robustezza rimane una difficile, quanto affascinante, questione ancora da risolvere.Software retains most of the know-how required fot its development. Because nowadays software can be easily cloned and spread worldwide, the risk of intellectual property infringement on a global scale is high. One of the most viable solutions to this problem is to endow software with a watermark. Good watermarks are required not only to state unambiguously the owner of software, but also to be resilient and pervasive. In this thesis we base resiliency and pervasiveness on trace semantics. We point out loops as pervasive programming constructs and we introduce loop transformations as the basic block of pervasive watermarking schemes. We survey several loop transformations, outlining their underlying principles. Then we exploit these principles to build some pervasive watermarking techniques. Resiliency still remains a big and challenging open issue

Rank-based image watermarking method with high embedding capacity and robustness

This paper presents a novel rank-based method for image watermarking. In the watermark embedding process, the host image is divided into blocks, followed by the 2-D discrete cosine transform (DCT). For each image block, a secret key is employed to randomly select a set of DCT coefficients suitable for watermark embedding. Watermark bits are inserted into an image block by modifying the set of DCT coefficients using a rank-based embedding rule. In the watermark detection process, the corresponding detection matrices are formed from the received image using the secret key. Afterward, the watermark bits are extracted by checking the ranks of the detection matrices. Since the proposed watermarking method only uses two DCT coefficients to hide one watermark bit, it can achieve very high embedding capacity. Moreover, our method is free of host signal interference. This desired feature and the usage of an error buffer in watermark embedding result in high robustness against attacks. Theoretical analysis and experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method

Spread spectrum-based video watermarking algorithms for copyright protection

Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/2263 on 14.03.2017 by CS (TIS)Digital technologies know an unprecedented expansion in the last years. The consumer can now benefit from hardware and software which was considered state-of-the-art several years ago. The advantages offered by the digital technologies are major but the same digital technology opens the door for unlimited piracy. Copying an analogue VCR tape was certainly possible and relatively easy, in spite of various forms of protection, but due to the analogue environment, the subsequent copies had an inherent loss in quality. This was a natural way of limiting the multiple copying of a video material. With digital technology, this barrier disappears, being possible to make as many copies as desired, without any loss in quality whatsoever. Digital watermarking is one of the best available tools for fighting this threat. The aim of the present work was to develop a digital watermarking system compliant with the recommendations drawn by the EBU, for video broadcast monitoring. Since the watermark can be inserted in either spatial domain or transform domain, this aspect was investigated and led to the conclusion that wavelet transform is one of the best solutions available. Since watermarking is not an easy task, especially considering the robustness under various attacks several techniques were employed in order to increase the capacity/robustness of the system: spread-spectrum and modulation techniques to cast the watermark, powerful error correction to protect the mark, human visual models to insert a robust mark and to ensure its invisibility. The combination of these methods led to a major improvement, but yet the system wasn't robust to several important geometrical attacks. In order to achieve this last milestone, the system uses two distinct watermarks: a spatial domain reference watermark and the main watermark embedded in the wavelet domain. By using this reference watermark and techniques specific to image registration, the system is able to determine the parameters of the attack and revert it. Once the attack was reverted, the main watermark is recovered. The final result is a high capacity, blind DWr-based video watermarking system, robust to a wide range of attacks.BBC Research & Developmen

Image adaptive watermarking using wavelet transform

The availability of versatile multimedia processing software and the far-reaching coverage of the interconnected networks have facilitated flawless copying, manipulations and distribution of the digital multimedia (digital video, audio, text, and images). The ever-advancing storage and retrieval technologies have also smoothed the way for large-scale multimedia database applications. However, abuses of these facilities and technologies pose pressing threats to multimedia security management in general, and multimedia copyright protection and content integrity verification in particular. Although cryptography has a long history of application to information and multimedia security, the undesirable characteristic of providing no protection to the media once decrypted has limited the feasibility of its widespread use. For example, an adversary can obtain the decryption key by purchasing a legal copy of the media but then redistribute the decrypted copies of the original. In response to these challenges; digital watermarking techniques have been proposed in the last decade. Digital watermarking is the procedure whereby secret information (the watermark) is embedded into the host multimedia content, such that it is: (1) hidden, i.e., not perceptually visible; and (2) recoverable, even after the content is degraded by different attacks such as filtering, JPEG compression, noise, cropping etc. The two basic requirements for an effective watermarking scheme, imperceptibility and robustness, conflict with each other. The main focus of this thesis is to provide good tradeoff between perceptual quality of the watermarked image and its robustness against different attacks. For this purpose, we have discussed two robust digital watermarking techniques in discrete wavelet (DWT) domain. One is fusion based watermarking, and other is spread spectrum based watermarking. Both the techniques are image adaptive and employ a contrast sensitivity based human visual system (HVS) model. The HVS models give us a direct way to determine the maximum strength of watermark signal that each portion of an image can tolerate without affecting the visual quality of the image. In fusion based watermarking technique, grayscale image (logo) is used as watermark. In watermark embedding process, both the host image and watermark image are transformed into DWT domain where their coefficients are fused according to a series combination rule that take into account contrast sensitivity characteristics of the HVS. The method repeatedly merges the watermark coefficients strongly in more salient components at the various resolution levels of the host image which provides simultaneous spatial localization and frequency spread of the watermark to provide robustness against different attacks. Watermark extraction process requires original image for watermark extraction. In spread spectrum based watermarking technique, a visually recognizable binary image is used as watermark. In watermark embedding process, the host image is transformed into DWT domain. By utilizing contrast sensitivity based HVS model, watermark bits are adaptively embedded through a pseudo-noise sequence into the middle frequency sub-bands to provide robustness against different attacks. No original image is required for watermark extraction. Simulation results of various attacks are also presented to demonstrate the robustness of both the algorithms. Simulation results verify theoretical observations and demonstrate the feasibility of the digital watermarking algorithms for use in multimedia standards

Scale Invariant and Rotation Invariant Image Watermarking

The scheme proposed is an improved version of the image watermarking scheme in "Scale-Invariant Image Watermarking via Optimization Algorithm for Quantizing Randomized Statistics". The previous watermarking scheme was scale invariant but not rotation invariant. In this thesis we propose to modify the method by incorporating Zernike moment transformation to make it rotationally invariant, thus making it robust against synchronization attacks.Computer Science Departmen

Data Hiding and Its Applications

Data hiding techniques have been widely used to provide copyright protection, data integrity, covert communication, non-repudiation, and authentication, among other applications. In the context of the increased dissemination and distribution of multimedia content over the internet, data hiding methods, such as digital watermarking and steganography, are becoming increasingly relevant in providing multimedia security. The goal of this book is to focus on the improvement of data hiding algorithms and their different applications (both traditional and emerging), bringing together researchers and practitioners from different research fields, including data hiding, signal processing, cryptography, and information theory, among others

Are Social Networks Watermarking Us or Are We (Unawarely) Watermarking Ourself?

In the last decade, Social Networks (SNs) have deeply changed many aspects of society, and one of the most widespread behaviours is the sharing of pictures. However, malicious users often exploit shared pictures to create fake profiles leading to the growth of cybercrime. Thus, keeping in mind this scenario, authorship attribution and verification through image watermarking techniques are becoming more and more important. In this paper, firstly, we investigate how 13 most popular SNs treat the uploaded pictures, in order to identify a possible implementation of image watermarking techniques by respective SNs. Secondly, on these 13 SNs, we test the robustness of several image watermarking algorithms. Finally, we verify whether a method based on the Photo-Response Non-Uniformity (PRNU) technique can be successfully used as a watermarking approach for authorship attribution and verification of pictures on SNs. The proposed method is robust enough in spite of the fact that the pictures get downgraded during the uploading process by SNs. The results of our analysis on a real dataset of 8,400 pictures show that the proposed method is more effective than other watermarking techniques and can help to address serious questions about privacy and security on SNs.Comment: 43 pages, 6 figure

Digital Watermarking of Images towards Content Protection.

With the rapid growth of the internet and digital media techniques over the last decade, multimedia data such as images, video and audio can easily be copied, altered and distributed over the internet without any loss in quality. Therefore, protection of ownership of multimedia data has become a very significant and challenging issue. Three novel image watermarking algorithms have been designed and implemented for copyright protection. The first proposed algorithm is based on embedding multiple watermarks in the blue channel of colour images to achieve more robustness against attacks. The second proposed algorithm aims to achieve better trade-offs between imperceptibility and robustness requirements of a digital watermarking system. It embeds a watermark in adaptive manner via classification of DCT blocks with three levels: smooth, edges and texture, implemented in the DCT domain by analyzing the values of AC coefficients. The third algorithm aims to achieve robustness against geometric attacks, which can desynchronize the location of the watermark and hence cause incorrect watermark detection. It uses geometrically invariant feature points and image normalization to overcome the problem of synchronization errors caused by geometric attacks. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithms are robust and outperform related techniques found in literature

Digital video watermarking techniques for secure multimedia creation and delivery.

Chan Pik-Wah.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-130).Abstracts in English and Chinese.Abstract --- p.iAcknowledgement --- p.ivChapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1Chapter 1.1 --- Background --- p.1Chapter 1.2 --- Research Objective --- p.3Chapter 1.3 --- Contributions --- p.4Chapter 1.4 --- The Structure of this Thesis --- p.6Chapter 2 --- Literature Review --- p.7Chapter 2.1 --- Security in Multimedia Communications --- p.8Chapter 2.2 --- Cryptography --- p.11Chapter 2.3 --- Digital Watermarking --- p.14Chapter 2.4 --- Essential Ingredients for Video Watermarking --- p.16Chapter 2.4.1 --- Fidelity --- p.16Chapter 2.4.2 --- Robustness --- p.17Chapter 2.4.3 --- Use of Keys --- p.19Chapter 2.4.4 --- Blind Detection --- p.20Chapter 2.4.5 --- Capacity and Speed --- p.20Chapter 2.4.6 --- Statistical Imperceptibility --- p.21Chapter 2.4.7 --- Low Error Probability --- p.21Chapter 2.4.8 --- Real-time Detector Complexity --- p.21Chapter 2.5 --- Review on Video Watermarking Techniques --- p.22Chapter 2.5.1 --- Video Watermarking --- p.25Chapter 2.5.2 --- Spatial Domain Watermarks --- p.26Chapter 2.5.3 --- Frequency Domain Watermarks --- p.30Chapter 2.5.4 --- Watermarks Based on MPEG Coding Struc- tures --- p.35Chapter 2.6 --- Comparison between Different Watermarking Schemes --- p.38Chapter 3 --- Novel Watermarking Schemes --- p.42Chapter 3.1 --- A Scene-based Video Watermarking Scheme --- p.42Chapter 3.1.1 --- Watermark Preprocess --- p.44Chapter 3.1.2 --- Video Preprocess --- p.46Chapter 3.1.3 --- Watermark Embedding --- p.48Chapter 3.1.4 --- Watermark Detection --- p.50Chapter 3.2 --- Theoretical Analysis --- p.52Chapter 3.2.1 --- Performance --- p.52Chapter 3.2.2 --- Capacity --- p.56Chapter 3.3 --- A Hybrid Watermarking Scheme --- p.60Chapter 3.3.1 --- Visual-audio Hybrid Watermarking --- p.61Chapter 3.3.2 --- Hybrid Approach with Different Water- marking Schemes --- p.69Chapter 3.4 --- A Genetic Algorithm-based Video Watermarking Scheme --- p.73Chapter 3.4.1 --- Watermarking Scheme --- p.75Chapter 3.4.2 --- Problem Modelling --- p.76Chapter 3.4.3 --- Chromosome Encoding --- p.79Chapter 3.4.4 --- Genetic Operators --- p.80Chapter 4 --- Experimental Results --- p.85Chapter 4.1 --- Test on Robustness --- p.85Chapter 4.1.1 --- Experiment with Frame Dropping --- p.87Chapter 4.1.2 --- Experiment with Frame Averaging and Sta- tistical Analysis --- p.89Chapter 4.1.3 --- Experiment with Lossy Compression --- p.90Chapter 4.1.4 --- Test of Robustness with StirMark 4.0 --- p.92Chapter 4.1.5 --- Overall Comparison --- p.98Chapter 4.2 --- Test on Fidelity --- p.100Chapter 4.2.1 --- Parameter(s) Setting --- p.101Chapter 4.2.2 --- Evaluate with PSNR --- p.101Chapter 4.2.3 --- Evaluate with MAD --- p.102Chapter 4.3 --- Other Features of the Scheme --- p.105Chapter 4.4 --- Conclusion --- p.106Chapter 5 --- Conclusion --- p.108Bibliography --- p.11

Anti-Collusion Fingerprinting for Multimedia

Digital fingerprinting is a technique for identifyingusers who might try to use multimedia content for unintendedpurposes, such as redistribution. These fingerprints are typicallyembedded into the content using watermarking techniques that aredesigned to be robust to a variety of attacks. A cost-effectiveattack against such digital fingerprints is collusion, whereseveral differently marked copies of the same content are combinedto disrupt the underlying fingerprints. In this paper, weinvestigate the problem of designing fingerprints that canwithstand collusion and allow for the identification of colluders.We begin by introducing the collusion problem for additiveembedding. We then study the effect that averaging collusion hasupon orthogonal modulation. We introduce an efficient detectionalgorithm for identifying the fingerprints associated with Kcolluders that requires O(K log(n/K)) correlations for agroup of n users. We next develop a fingerprinting scheme basedupon code modulation that does not require as many basis signalsas orthogonal modulation. We propose a new class of codes, calledanti-collusion codes (ACC), which have the property that thecomposition of any subset of K or fewer codevectors is unique.Using this property, we can therefore identify groups of K orfewer colluders. We present a construction of binary-valued ACCunder the logical AND operation that uses the theory ofcombinatorial designs and is suitable for both the on-off keyingand antipodal form of binary code modulation. In order toaccommodate n users, our code construction requires onlyO(sqrt{n}) orthogonal signals for a given number of colluders.We introduce four different detection strategies that can be usedwith our ACC for identifying a suspect set of colluders. Wedemonstrate the performance of our ACC for fingerprintingmultimedia and identifying colluders through experiments usingGaussian signals and real images.This paper has been submitted to IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing</I