Encrypted Packet Signature for Data Type Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Encryption obscures the contents of electronic communications, making it difficult for communications service providers to determine the type of data and prioritize processing, leading to potential quality issues in services like internet telephony due to default lesser priority processing.
Innovation Solution
Methods and systems that detect observable parameters in encrypted packet streams to infer the type of data, such as video, voice, or text, and insert signatures to identify the data type, enabling content-specific processing and prioritization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If encryption is applied to electronic communications, then security and privacy are improved, but the ability to determine data type and prioritize processing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication stream into individual packets and analyzes specific observable parameters (such as packet size, timing intervals, and protocol headers) that remain visible despite encryption. This segmentation allows the system to infer data types without decrypting the content, thus maintaining security while enabling classification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary analysis layer that observes encrypted traffic without requiring decryption. This intermediary system uses machine learning models trained on observable packet characteristics to infer data types, acting as a mediator between the encrypted stream and the quality of service management system.
2Device complexity
If encrypted communications default to lesser priority processing, then processing complexity is reduced, but service quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary classification of encrypted traffic using observable parameters before the actual processing occurs. By analyzing packet characteristics in advance and assigning priority levels based on inferred data types (such as identifying VoIP or video streams), the system prepares quality of service policies ahead of time, ensuring proper handling without adding complex real-time decryption requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for specifying a signature for an encrypted packet stream. One method receives the encrypted stream of packets, and encryption obscures the contents of a packet. A signature for insertion into the stream of packets is specified, and the signature identifies a type of data encrypted within the stream of packets. The signature identifies the contents of the packet despite the encryption obscuring the contents.