Lattice Router Prefix Shuffling for Private IP Packet Routing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing networking methods provide inadequate security and privacy, as source IP prefixes in IP packets can be tracked, compromising user privacy and security.
Innovation Solution
Lattice routing organizes routers in a lattice layout, altering source IP prefixes at each hop to mask the original IP, using encryption and decryption at Layer 3 and Layer 4 communication layers, and embedding routing path information in packet headers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If source IP prefixes are transmitted in plain form in IP packets, then routing is simple and direct, but user privacy and security are compromised as packets can be tracked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the routing process into multiple hops through a lattice network, where each router performs a portion of the routing function. The source IP prefix is divided and reassembled across multiple routers, with each router handling only a segment of the overall routing task, thereby enhancing security while distributing complexity across multiple simple routing decisions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary routers in the lattice network that act as mediators between the source and destination. These intermediary routers shuffle and rewrite IP prefixes, preventing direct tracking while maintaining routing functionality. The intermediaries add security layers without requiring complex end-to-end routing logic at any single point
2Reliability
If IP packets are routed through multiple lattice routers with prefix shuffling, then tracking is prevented and privacy is enhanced, but routing complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing the lattice network structure and pre-computing routing paths before actual data transmission. The index number is pre-calculated from the destination IP address, enabling routers to make quick forwarding decisions without complex real-time computations, thus maintaining efficiency while achieving privacy protection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes key parameters of the IP packet (specifically the source IP prefix) at each routing hop through shuffling operations. This parameter transformation allows the packet to maintain its routing information while obscuring the original source, achieving privacy protection without requiring complete packet reconstruction or complex decryption at each hop
3Reliability
If source IP prefixes are shuffled at each router hop, then packet tracking is blocked, but the ability to route packets back to their origin becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested structure where the original source IP prefix is embedded within the shuffled prefix sequence through the lattice network. Each router contributes a layer of prefix shuffling, creating a nested encryption-like structure that can be systematically unwound by response packets traveling back through the same lattice path, enabling return routing while maintaining anonymity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where response packets traverse the lattice network in reverse, carrying information about the shuffled prefixes encountered. This feedback allows the system to reconstruct the original source IP address by reversing the shuffling operations in the correct sequence, thereby enabling return routing without compromising the anonymity of the original source during forward transmission
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are provided for lattice routing across a plurality of routers. An example method can include receiving, by a first router of a lattice including a plurality of routers, an Internet Protocol packet including a source Internet Protocol prefix and an index number, where the plurality of routers of the lattice is indexed in a lattice index, and where the plurality of routers is configured to forward the Internet Protocol packet to routers of the plurality of routers based on the index number, shuffling, by the first router, the source Internet Protocol prefix, determining, by the first router and based on the index number, whether the first router is the egress router, and sending, by the first router, the Internet Protocol packet with a shuffled source Internet Protocol prefix to a next node.