Paper Review: < SPSJ+01>>
Hash-Based IP Protocol

Reviewer: Oleg Elkhunovich

Problem

In the current Internet architecture it is difficult to reliable identify the originator of the IP packet. Being able to do this is important for Internet security. Authors address this problem.

Contribution

Authors purpose a scheme - Source Path Isolation Engine (SPIE) that allows for reliable tracing of IP packets to their source. The technique generates audit trais for traffic within the network, and can trace the origin of a single IP packet delivered by the network. The system is claimed to be effective, space-efficient and implementable in today's technology.

Main Ideas

  • Packet digesting makes reconstruction of attach path feasible.
  • Privacy is protected. False positives are allowed, while false negatives cannot exist.
  • Reduced memory reqirement is key to this system's feasibility.

    Critique

    Significance: 4
    This research is very significant as ability to trace malicious IP packets to their source can greatly enhance Internet security. Authors solve the problem while keeping important issues such as privacy and feasibility as their constraints.
    Methodology:
    The paper is very well organized and authors propose a number of important assumtptions as they solve the problem. They do not compromise security, etc. They are convincing in their description of the scheme and it seems like it is feasible.
    Limitation:
    It is unclear how effective traceback can be when the network is unstable, and the network is likely to be unstable in times when malicious packets are detected.

    Lessons:
    Hilw problem might seem impossible to solve in a feasible way, thinking out of the box and using different techniques can lead to a solution.