IP multicast security: Issues and directions

Security represents one of the major obstacles today to the wider deployment of IP mul-ticast. The current work identiies and discusses the various concepts and issues underlying multicast security. A classiication of the current issues is provided, covering some core problems , infrastructure problems, and the complex applications that may be built atop a secure IP multicast. Three broad core problem-areas are deened, namely the problem of fast and eecient source-authentication for high data-rate applications, secure and scalable group-key management techniques and the need for methods to express and implement policies speciic to multicast security. The infrastructure problem-areas cover the issues related to the security of multicast routing protocols and reliable multicast protocols. The topic of complex application covers more advanced issues, typically relating to secure group-communications at the application layer which may be built above an eventual secure multicast infrastructure. Throughout the discussions, references to existing work and work in progress are given. A brief summary of the relevant developments, including those in the IETF, is provided.