Digital Watermark Authentication for Vishing-Resistant Voice Calls
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing prevalence of lifelike chatbots and deepfakes in voice communications poses a significant risk of unauthorized access to confidential information, as they can deceive individuals into sharing sensitive data with impersonators.
Innovation Solution
A digital watermarking system is implemented to authenticate communication sessions by embedding high-frequency signals that are imperceptible to humans, allowing devices to verify the authenticity of the communication initiator through frequency modulation and comparison with a validated watermark.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If digital watermarking is embedded in communication sessions to authenticate initiators, then security against vishing attacks is improved, but device complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system generates and embeds digital watermarks in communication session requests before the actual communication occurs. The watermark is预先 embedded in the SIP INVITE message or other session initiation protocols, allowing authentication to be performed before the communication channel is fully established, thus preventing unauthorized sessions from starting
Solution Approach 2:
The digital watermark acts as an intermediary authentication mechanism between the communication initiator and the receiving device. Instead of direct authentication protocols, the watermark serves as a carrier of authentication information that can be extracted and verified by the receiving device, simplifying the authentication flow while maintaining security
2Measurement precision
If high-frequency digital watermark signals are used for authentication, then detection accuracy is improved, but potential interference with audible communication quality may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system embeds digital watermarks in specific frequency bands that are distinct from the primary voice communication frequencies. By confining the watermark to localized high-frequency regions (e.g., ultrasonic ranges above 20kHz), the authentication signal can be detected with high precision without interfering with the audible range (20Hz-20kHz) where human voice communication occurs
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication mechanism transitions from the audible frequency dimension to the ultrasonic frequency dimension. By embedding watermarks in frequency ranges imperceptible to humans, the system adds an additional dimensional layer for authentication that does not overlap with or interfere with the primary communication dimension, thus achieving both high detection precision and maintained communication quality
3Reliability
If digital watermarks are embedded in every communication session request, then security coverage is improved, but network bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system embeds digital watermarks selectively rather than universally in all communication sessions. Watermarks are embedded based on risk assessment criteria, such as when the receiving device is not in the organization's trusted network, when the caller ID appears suspicious, or when the communication pattern matches known vishing attack patterns. This partial application approach provides sufficient security coverage for high-risk scenarios while minimizing unnecessary bandwidth consumption in low-risk scenarios
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively prevents unauthorized communication sessions by ensuring that only authenticated communications are allowed, providing enhanced security against vishing attacks.
Implementation Method 1
a first frequency at which the digital watermark is embedded... identifying that the digital watermark matches the validated digital watermark
Data Source
AI summary
A computing platform may generate a digital watermark configured to verify an identity of an initiator of a communication session. The computing platform may send, to a first user device, a digital watermark signal, where the digital watermark signal indicates: a validated digital watermark comprising the digital watermark, and a first frequency at which the digital watermark is embedded. The computing platform may embed, into a request to initiate a communication session, the digital watermark. The computing platform may send, to the first user device, the request to initiate the communication session, where the first user device may be configured to: 1) identify, based on the first frequency, the digital watermark, 2) compare the digital watermark to the validated digital watermark, and 3) based on identifying that the digital watermark matches the validated digital watermark, output an authenticated communication session notification.