Physical Layer Watermarking of Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Signals

Security services and mechanisms in wireless networks have long been studied and developed. However, compared to upper network layers, physical layer security did not play a signicant role in the OSI security model. Thanks to the easier implementation and verication methods brought by the development of software dened radio (SDR) techniques, physical layer security mechanisms have recently drawn increasing interest from researchers. Digital watermarking is one of the popular security techniques that can fully utilize various exclusive characteristics of the physical layer. This thesis proposes a physical layer watermarking technique named Water-marked Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) or WDSSS technique, which embeds authentication information into pseudonoise (PN) sequences of a DSSS system. The design and implementation of the WDSSS prototype system on the GNU Radio/USRP SDR platform is discussed, as well as two watermark embedding methods, the maximized minimum distance method and the sub-sequence method. Theoretical analysis and experimental results on the WDSSS prototype system are presented to evaluate the performances of both the content signal and the watermark signal. Results show that, for the 11-chip PN sequence, increasing articial chip errors has aquantitatively predictable impact on the content signal, requiring 2 dB higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to maintain an acceptable packet error rate (PER) for one additional ipped chip. In terms of the watermark signal, the two embedding methods demonstrated individual advantages in either PER or throughput. The maximized minimum distance method outperforms the sub-sequence embedding method with a 3 dB lower SNR requirement, while the latter provides 400 more throughput than the former with adequate SN

Framework for privacy-aware content distribution in peer-to- peer networks with copyright protection

The use of peer-to-peer (P2P) networks for multimedia distribution has spread out globally in recent years. This mass popularity is primarily driven by the efficient distribution of content, also giving rise to piracy and copyright infringement as well as privacy concerns. An end user (buyer) of a P2P content distribution system does not want to reveal his/her identity during a transaction with a content owner (merchant), whereas the merchant does not want the buyer to further redistribute the content illegally. Therefore, there is a strong need for content distribution mechanisms over P2P networks that do not pose security and privacy threats to copyright holders and end users, respectively. However, the current systems being developed to provide copyright and privacy protection to merchants and end users employ cryptographic mechanisms, which incur high computational and communication costs, making these systems impractical for the distribution of big files, such as music albums or movies.El uso de soluciones de igual a igual (peer-to-peer, P2P) para la distribución multimedia se ha extendido mundialmente en los últimos años. La amplia popularidad de este paradigma se debe, principalmente, a la distribución eficiente de los contenidos, pero también da lugar a la piratería, a la violación del copyright y a problemas de privacidad. Un usuario final (comprador) de un sistema de distribución de contenidos P2P no quiere revelar su identidad durante una transacción con un propietario de contenidos (comerciante), mientras que el comerciante no quiere que el comprador pueda redistribuir ilegalmente el contenido más adelante. Por lo tanto, existe una fuerte necesidad de mecanismos de distribución de contenidos por medio de redes P2P que no supongan un riesgo de seguridad y privacidad a los titulares de derechos y los usuarios finales, respectivamente. Sin embargo, los sistemas actuales que se desarrollan con el propósito de proteger el copyright y la privacidad de los comerciantes y los usuarios finales emplean mecanismos de cifrado que implican unas cargas computacionales y de comunicaciones muy elevadas que convierten a estos sistemas en poco prácticos para distribuir archivos de gran tamaño, tales como álbumes de música o películas.L'ús de solucions d'igual a igual (peer-to-peer, P2P) per a la distribució multimèdia s'ha estès mundialment els darrers anys. L'àmplia popularitat d'aquest paradigma es deu, principalment, a la distribució eficient dels continguts, però també dóna lloc a la pirateria, a la violació del copyright i a problemes de privadesa. Un usuari final (comprador) d'un sistema de distribució de continguts P2P no vol revelar la seva identitat durant una transacció amb un propietari de continguts (comerciant), mentre que el comerciant no vol que el comprador pugui redistribuir il·legalment el contingut més endavant. Per tant, hi ha una gran necessitat de mecanismes de distribució de continguts per mitjà de xarxes P2P que no comportin un risc de seguretat i privadesa als titulars de drets i els usuaris finals, respectivament. Tanmateix, els sistemes actuals que es desenvolupen amb el propòsit de protegir el copyright i la privadesa dels comerciants i els usuaris finals fan servir mecanismes d'encriptació que impliquen unes càrregues computacionals i de comunicacions molt elevades que fan aquests sistemes poc pràctics per a distribuir arxius de grans dimensions, com ara àlbums de música o pel·lícules

Multimedia Protection using Content and Embedded Fingerprints

Improved digital connectivity has made the Internet an important medium for multimedia distribution and consumption in recent years. At the same time, this increased proliferation of multimedia has raised significant challenges in secure multimedia distribution and intellectual property protection. This dissertation examines two complementary aspects of the multimedia protection problem that utilize content fingerprints and embedded collusion-resistant fingerprints. The first aspect considered is the automated identification of multimedia using content fingerprints, which is emerging as an important tool for detecting copyright violations on user generated content websites. A content fingerprint is a compact identifier that captures robust and distinctive properties of multimedia content, which can be used for uniquely identifying the multimedia object. In this dissertation, we describe a modular framework for theoretical modeling and analysis of content fingerprinting techniques. Based on this framework, we analyze the impact of distortions in the features on the corresponding fingerprints and also consider the problem of designing a suitable quantizer for encoding the features in order to improve the identification accuracy. The interaction between the fingerprint designer and a malicious adversary seeking to evade detection is studied under a game-theoretic framework and optimal strategies for both parties are derived. We then focus on analyzing and understanding the matching process at the fingerprint level. Models for fingerprints with different types of correlations are developed and the identification accuracy under each model is examined. Through this analysis we obtain useful guidelines for designing practical systems and also uncover connections to other areas of research. A complementary problem considered in this dissertation concerns tracing the users responsible for unauthorized redistribution of multimedia. Collusion-resistant fingerprints, which are signals that uniquely identify the recipient, are proactively embedded in the multimedia before redistribution and can be used for identifying the malicious users. We study the problem of designing collusion resistant fingerprints for embedding in compressed multimedia. Our study indicates that directly adapting traditional fingerprinting techniques to this new setting of compressed multimedia results in low collusion resistance. To withstand attacks, we propose an anti-collusion dithering technique for embedding fingerprints that significantly improves the collusion resistance compared to traditional fingerprints

Contribution des filtres LPTV et des techniques d'interpolation au tatouage numérique

Les Changements d'Horloge Périodiques (PCC) et les filtres Linéaires Variant Périodiquement dans le Temps (LPTV) sont utilisés dans le domaine des télécommunications multi-utilisateurs. Dans cette thèse, nous montrons que, dans l'ensemble des techniques de tatouage par étalement de spectre, ils peuvent se substituer à la modulation par code pseudo-aléatoire. Les modules de décodage optimal, de resynchronisation, de pré-annulation des interférences et de quantification de la transformée d'étalement s'appliquent également aux PCC et aux filtres LPTV. Pour le modèle de signaux stationnaires blancs gaussiens, ces techniques présentent des performances identiques à l'étalement à Séquence Directe (DS) classique. Cependant, nous montrons que, dans le cas d'un signal corrélé localement, la luminance d'une image naturelle notamment, la périodicité des PCC et des filtres LPTV associée à un parcours d'image de type Peano-Hilbert conduit à de meilleures performances. Les filtres LPTV sont en outre un outil plus puissant qu'une simple modulation DS. Nous les utilisons pour effectuer un masquage spectral simultanément à l'étalement, ainsi qu'un rejet des interférences de l'image dans le domaine spectral. Cette dernière technique possède de très bonnes performances au décodage. Le second axe de cette thèse est l'étude des liens entre interpolation et tatouage numérique. Nous soulignons d'abord le rôle de l'interpolation dans les attaques sur la robustesse du tatouage. Nous construisons ensuite des techniques de tatouage bénéficiant des propriétés perceptuelles de l'interpolation. La première consiste en des masques perceptuels utilisant le bruit d'interpolation. Dans la seconde, un schéma de tatouage informé est construit autour de l'interpolation. Cet algorithme, qu'on peut relier aux techniques de catégorisation aléatoire, utilise des règles d'insertion et de décodage originales, incluant un masquage perceptuel intrinsèque. Outre ces bonnes propriétés perceptuelles, il présente un rejet des interférences de l'hôte et une robustesse à diverses attaques telles que les transformations valumétriques. Son niveau de sécurité est évalué à l'aide d'algorithmes d'attaque pratiques. ABSTRACT : Periodic Clock Changes (PCC) and Linear Periodically Time Varying (LPTV) filters have previously been applied to multi-user telecommunications in the Signal and Communications group of IRIT laboratory. In this thesis, we show that in each digital watermarking scheme involving spread-spectrum, they can be substituted to modulation by a pseudo-noise. The additional steps of optimal decoding, resynchronization, pre-cancellation of interference and quantization of a spread transform apply also to PCCs and LPTV filters. For white Gaussian stationary signals, these techniques offer similar performance as classical Direct Sequence (DS) spreading. However we show that, in the case of locally correlated signals such as image luminance, the periodicity of PCCs and LPTV filters associated to a Peano-Hilbert scan leads to better performance. Moreover, LPTV filters are a more powerful tool than simple DS modulation. We use LPTV filters to conduct spectrum masking simultaneous to spreading, as well as image interference cancellation in the spectral domain. The latter technique offers good decoding performance. The second axis of this thesis is the study of the links between interpolation and digital watermarking.We stress the role of interpolation in attacks on the watermark.We propose then watermarking techniques that benefit from interpolation perceptual properties. The first technique consists in constructing perceptualmasks proportional to an interpolation error. In the second technique, an informed watermarking scheme derives form interpolation. This scheme exhibits good perceptual properties, host-interference rejection and robustness to various attacks such as valumetric transforms. Its security level is assessed by ad hoc practical attack algorithms

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

Intelligent Circuits and Systems

ICICS-2020 is the third conference initiated by the School of Electronics and Electrical Engineering at Lovely Professional University that explored recent innovations of researchers working for the development of smart and green technologies in the fields of Energy, Electronics, Communications, Computers, and Control. ICICS provides innovators to identify new opportunities for the social and economic benefits of society.　 This conference bridges the gap between academics and R&D institutions, social visionaries, and experts from all strata of society to present their ongoing research activities and foster research relations between them. It provides opportunities for the exchange of new ideas, applications, and experiences in the field of smart technologies and finding global partners for future collaboration. The ICICS-2020 was conducted in two broad categories, Intelligent Circuits & Intelligent Systems and Emerging Technologies in Electrical Engineering

Synchronized Illumination Modulation for Digital Video Compositing

Informationsaustausch ist eines der Grundbedürfnisse der Menschen. Während früher dazu Wandmalereien,Handschrift, Buchdruck und Malerei eingesetzt wurden, begann man später, Bildfolgen zu erstellen, die als sogenanntes ”Daumenkino” den Eindruck einer Animation vermitteln. Diese wurden schnell durch den Einsatz rotierender Bildscheiben, auf denen mit Hilfe von Schlitzblenden, Spiegeln oder Optiken eine Animation sichtbar wurde, automatisiert – mit sogenannten Phenakistiskopen,Zoetropen oder Praxinoskopen. Mit der Erfindung der Fotografie begannen in der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts die ersten Wissenschaftler wie Eadweard Muybridge, Etienne-Jules Marey und Ottomar Anschütz, Serienbildaufnahmen zu erstellen und diese dann in schneller Abfolge, als Film, abzuspielen. Mit dem Beginn der Filmproduktion wurden auch die ersten Versuche unternommen, mit Hilfe dieser neuen Technik spezielle visuelle Effekte zu generieren, um damit die Immersion der Bewegtbildproduktionen weiter zu erhöhen. Während diese Effekte in der analogen Phase der Filmproduktion bis in die achtziger Jahre des 20.Jahrhunderts recht beschränkt und sehr aufwendig mit einem enormen manuellen Arbeitsaufwand erzeugt werden mussten, gewannen sie mit der sich rapide beschleunigenden Entwicklung der Halbleitertechnologie und der daraus resultierenden vereinfachten digitalen Bearbeitung immer mehr an Bedeutung. Die enormen Möglichkeiten, die mit der verlustlosen Nachbearbeitung in Kombination mit fotorealistischen, dreidimensionalen Renderings entstanden, führten dazu, dass nahezu alle heute produzierten Filme eine Vielfalt an digitalen Videokompositionseffekten beinhalten. ...Besides home entertainment and business presentations, video projectors are powerful tools for modulating images spatially as well as temporally. The re-evolving need for stereoscopic displays increases the demand for low-latency projectors and recent advances in LED technology also offer high modulation frequencies. Combining such high-frequency illumination modules with synchronized, fast cameras, makes it possible to develop specialized high-speed illumination systems for visual effects production. In this thesis we present different systems for using spatially as well as temporally modulated illumination in combination with a synchronized camera to simplify the requirements of standard digital video composition techniques for film and television productions and to offer new possibilities for visual effects generation. After an overview of the basic terminology and a summary of related methods, we discuss and give examples of how modulated light can be applied to a scene recording context to enable a variety of effects which cannot be realized using standard methods, such as virtual studio technology or chroma keying. We propose using high-frequency, synchronized illumination which, in addition to providing illumination, is modulated in terms of intensity and wavelength to encode technical information for visual effects generation. This is carried out in such a way that the technical components do not influence the final composite and are also not visible to observers on the film set. Using this approach we present a real-time flash keying system for the generation of perspectively correct augmented composites by projecting imperceptible markers for optical camera tracking. Furthermore, we present a system which enables the generation of various digital video compositing effects outside of completely controlled studio environments, such as virtual studios. A third temporal keying system is presented that aims to overcome the constraints of traditional chroma keying in terms of color spill and color dependency. ..