On Anti-Collusion Codes and Detection Algorithms for Multimedia Fingerprinting

Multimedia fingerprinting is an effective technique to trace the sources of pirate copies of copyrighted multimedia information. AND anti-collusion codes can be used to construct fingerprints resistant to collusion attacks on multimedia contents. In this paper, we first investigate AND anti-collusion codes and related detection algorithms from a combinatorial viewpoint, and then introduce a new concept of logical anti-collusion code to improve the traceability of multimedia fingerprinting. It reveals that frameproof codes have traceability for multimedia contents. Relationships among anti-collusion codes and other structures related to fingerprinting are discussed, and constructions for both AND anti-collusion codes and logical anti-collusion codes are provided

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

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

Anticollusion solutions for asymmetric fingerprinting protocols based on client side embedding

In this paper, we propose two different solutions for making a recently proposed asymmetric fingerprinting protocol based on client-side embedding robust to collusion attacks. The first solution is based on projecting a client-owned random fingerprint, securely obtained through existing cryptographic protocols, using for each client a different random matrix generated by the server. The second solution consists in assigning to each client a Tardos code, which can be done using existing asymmetric protocols, and modulating such codes using a specially designed random matrix. Suitable accusation strategies are proposed for both solutions, and their performance under the averaging attack followed by the addition of Gaussian noise is analytically derived. Experimental results show that the analytical model accurately predicts the performance of a realistic system. Moreover, the results also show that the solution based on independent random projections outperforms the solution based on Tardos codes, for different choices of parameters and under different attack models

Asymptotically false-positive-maximizing attack on non-binary Tardos codes

We use a method recently introduced by Simone and Skoric to study accusation probabilities for non-binary Tardos fingerprinting codes. We generalize the pre-computation steps in this approach to include a broad class of collusion attack strategies. We analytically derive properties of a special attack that asymptotically maximizes false accusation probabilities. We present numerical results on sufficient code lengths for this attack, and explain the abrupt transitions that occur in these results

A Joint Coding and Embedding Framework for Multimedia Fingerprinting

Technology advancement has made multimedia content widely available and easy to process. These benefits also bring ease to unauthorized users who can duplicate and manipulate multimedia content, and redistribute it to a large audience. Unauthorized distribution of information has posed serious threats to government and commercial operations. Digital fingerprinting is an emerging technology to protect multimedia content from such illicit redistribution by uniquely marking every copy of the content distributed to each user. One of the most powerful attacks from adversaries is collusion attack where several different fingerprinted copies of the same content are combined together to attenuate or even remove the fingerprints. An ideal fingerprinting system should be able to resist such collusion attacks and also have low embedding and detection computational complexity, and require low transmission bandwidth. To achieve aforementioned requirements, this thesis presents a joint coding and embedding framework by employing a code layer for efficient fingerprint construction and leveraging the embedding layer to achieve high collusion resistance. Based on this framework, we propose two new joint-coding-embedding techniques, namely, permuted subsegment embedding and group-based joint-coding-embedding fingerprinting. We show that the proposed fingerprinting framework provides an excellent balance between collusion resistance, efficient construction, and efficient detection. The proposed joint coding and embedding techniques allow us to model both coded and non-coded fingerprinting under the same theoretical model, which can be used to provide guidelines of choosing parameters. Based on the proposed joint coding and embedding techniques, we then consider real-world applications, such as DVD movie mass distribution and cable TV, and develop practical algorithms to fingerprint video in such challenging practical settings as to accommodate more than ten million users and resist hundreds of users' collusion. Our studies show a high potential of joint coding and embedding to meet the needs of real-world large-scale fingerprinting applications. The popularity of the subscription based content services, such as cable TV, inspires us to study the content protection in such scenario where users have access to multiple contents and thus the colluders may pirate multiple movie signals. To address this issue, we exploit the temporal dimension and propose a dynamic fingerprinting scheme that adjusts the fingerprint design based on the detection results of previously pirated signals. We demonstrate the advantages of the proposed dynamic fingerprinting over conventional static fingerprinting. Other issues related to multimedia fingerprinting, such as fingerprinting via QIM embedding, are also discussed in this thesis

Collusion-resistant fingerprinting for multimedia in a broadcast channel environment

Digital fingerprinting is a method by which a copyright owner can uniquely embed a buyer-dependent, inconspicuous serial number (representing the fingerprint) into every copy of digital data that is legally sold. The buyer of a legal copy is then deterred from distributing further copies, because the unique fingerprint can be used to trace back the origin of the piracy. The major challenge in fingerprinting is collusion, an attack in which a coalition of pirates compare several of their uniquely fingerprinted copies for the purpose of detecting and removing the fingerprints. The objectives of this work are two-fold. First, we investigate the need for robustness against large coalitions of pirates by introducing the concept of a malicious distributor that has been overlooked in prior work. A novel fingerprinting code that has superior codeword length in comparison to existing work under this novel malicious distributor scenario is developed. In addition, ideas presented in the proposed fingerprinting design can easily be applied to existing fingerprinting schemes, making them more robust to collusion attacks. Second, a new framework termed Joint Source Fingerprinting that integrates the processes of watermarking and codebook design is introduced. The need for this new paradigm is motivated by the fact that existing fingerprinting methods result in a perceptually undistorted multimedia after collusion is applied. In contrast, the new paradigm equates the process of collusion amongst a coalition of pirates, to degrading the perceptual characteristics, and hence commercial value of the multimedia in question. Thus by enforcing that the process of collusion diminishes the commercial value of the content, the pirates are deterred from attacking the fingerprints. A fingerprinting algorithm for video as well as an efficient means of broadcasting or distributing fingerprinted video is also presented. Simulation results are provided to verify our theoretical and empirical observations