Techniques for Lightweight Concealment and Authentication in IP Networks

This paper argues that there is significant benefit in providing multiple progressively stronger layers of security for hosts connecting to the Internet. It claims that this multi-layered approach allows early discard of packets associated with attacks. This reduces server vulnerability to computational denial-of-service attacks via heavyweight cryptography calculations. To this end, it presents three techniques that allow TCP/IP services to be concealed from non-authorized users of said services, while still allowing access to the services for authorized users. These techniques can be entirely implemented at the edges of the network and require no changes to the interior of the network. They work alongside, and augment, existing protocols making deployment practical.