A multi-protocol cryptographic framework for the authentication of digital streams

Authentication of digital streams poses operational challenges which do not arise for block-oriented data, in particular the necessity for high authenticative (especially with respect receiver-side verification) performance and a robust tolerance against data packet loss. These issues can be addressed via selection of cryptographic protocols for specific functionality within a multi-protocol framework. We outline the application of: (1) Rabin (1979) number-theoretic signatures, (2) Even-Goldreich-Micali (1990) one-time signatures, (3) Wong-Lam (see Computer Science Technical Report TR-98-15, University of Texas, Austin) star-shaped hash graphs, (4) unbuffered hash chains, and (5) Golle (see The 3rd Workshop on Elliptic Curve Cryptography, 1999) hash chains; towards a two-scale authenticative framework. Intra-buffer packet-level and intra-group buffer-level structures are implemented via Golle and double chains respectively, with WL stars and EGM public-keys/signatures used to implement a Golle chain as an authenticator for a buffer group of Golle chain buffers. Rabin signatures are used to establish the origin of the EGM public-key sequence, with subsequent EGM public-keys/signatures verifiable using an earlier instance in the public-key sequence.