Conceptual Model and Architecture of MAFTIA

This deliverable builds on the work reported in [MAFTIA 2000] and [Powell and Stroud 2001]. It contains a further refinement of the MAFTIA conceptual model and a revised discussion of the MAFTIA architecture. It also introduces the work done in MAFTIA on verification and assessment of security properties, which is reported on in more detail in [Adelsbach and Creese 2003

MAFTIA Conceptual Model and Architecture

This document builds on the work reported in MAFTIA deliverable D1. It contains a refinement of the MAFTIA conceptual model and a discussion of the MAFTIA architecture. It also introduces the work done in WP6 on verification and assessment of security properties, which is reported on in more detail in MAFTIA deliverable D

Digital image watermarking: its formal model, fundamental properties and possible attacks

While formal definitions and security proofs are well established in some fields like cryptography and steganography, they are not as evident in digital watermarking research. A systematic development of watermarking schemes is desirable, but at present their development is usually informal, ad hoc, and omits the complete realization of application scenarios. This practice not only hinders the choice and use of a suitable scheme for a watermarking application, but also leads to debate about the state-of-the-art for different watermarking applications. With a view to the systematic development of watermarking schemes, we present a formal generic model for digital image watermarking. Considering possible inputs, outputs, and component functions, the initial construction of a basic watermarking model is developed further to incorporate the use of keys. On the basis of our proposed model, fundamental watermarking properties are defined and their importance exemplified for different image applications. We also define a set of possible attacks using our model showing different winning scenarios depending on the adversary capabilities. It is envisaged that with a proper consideration of watermarking properties and adversary actions in different image applications, use of the proposed model would allow a unified treatment of all practically meaningful variants of watermarking schemes

On the Integration of Watermarks and Cryptography

Applications that involve watermarking schemes are typically composed of both watermarks and cryptographic primitives. The entire application is required to meet speci c application-dependant security properties, which critically depend on both the properties of the watermarking scheme and the security of cryptographic primitives. Although the design of secure cryptographic protocols is more or less wellunderstood, the combination of watermarks and cryptographic primitives poses new problems. This paper reviews some of the fallacies and pitfalls that occur during the design of secure watermarking applications, and provides some practical guidelines for secure watermarking protocols

Towards a Secure and De-Centralized Digital Watermarking Infrastructure for the Protection of Intellectual Property

The advent of the Web, electronic commerce and the creation of electronic distribution channels for content have brought new challenges regarding the protection of intellectual property. As it has become increasingly difficult to protect the distribution medium against copying, techniques for asserting the copyright on information have gained in importance. A particularly promising method is the use of digital watermarking to embed additional copyright information within data. However, central servers or certification authorities are required by most current watermarking protocols, thus limiting the wide-spread application of watermarking in electronic commerce applications