Researchers Able To Track Anonymous P2P Packets

[JackSpratts]

In a paper published last fall, researchers at George Mason University claim to have successfully identified originating addresses of P2P packets even when encrypted and sent over Internet anonymising services, and accomplished it with near 100% accuracy by secretly watermarking the streams (PDF) with special queueing sequences.

On telephone calls generated with Skype, a low latency packet switching Voice-Over-Internet Protocol (VOIP) peer-to-peer service and encrypted in 256 bit AES and further VPN anonymised through findnot.com, they achieved successful tracking in every instance the calls were at least two minutes in length.

The new technique works by delaying outgoing data in amounts so miniscule researchers claim it’s undetectable to users, and then precisely timing its arrival.

The team did not say if they can also track encrypted data on other anonymous file-sharing networks like so-called darknets.

The US Air Force supplied partial funding.

- js.