A collaborative-based approach for avoiding traffic analysis and assuring data integrity in anonymous systems

Abstract

The paper introduces a new collaborative technique for assuring data integrity while avoiding traffic analysis and other types of similar attacks (e.g., man-in-the-middle, data source fingerprinting, etc.). The new technique utilizes a quorum based approach to allow the client to validate the authenticity of the received data at his/her end by comparing different copies of the data. Similar to a reputation system, the new approach relies on the feedback of end-user communication experiences as well as a centralized entity to determine the trustfulness of nodes in the system. The new approach also is a hybrid of centralized and decentralized system that will help in keeping the system ‘alive’ to prevent different types of attacks that are carried out on centralized and decentralized peer-to-peer systems. The technique also accomplishes data transfer from source to destination using a distributed system, encryption, and a relatively new way for communication amongst system components.