On error preserving encryption algorithms for wireless video transmission

In this paper, we describe error preserving encryption mechanisms for transmission of vido over wireless networks. One of the main problems with the secure transmission of data over wireless networks is that the bit errors that occur need to typically be sesolved before decryption can begin. For vido straming applications, this is unacceptable due to the general requirement that video be presented to the user in a continuous manner with low latency. In this paper, we describe a systematic approach to understanding error preserving encryption algorithms. That is, encryption algorithms designed specifically for video to solve this problem. The main objective of this work is to ensure that the basic encryption of the stream can survive bit errors and that the errors are then passed to the application. We make use of the fact that video compression typically results in random byte distribution. Error preserving encryption algorithms are secure against ciphertext only attacks but vulnerable against known plaintext attacks. We limit this vulnerabillity by requiring a key exchange for each session.