Covert channels and countermeasures in computer network protocols [Reprinted from IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials]

The work

AuthorsSebastian Zander; Grenville Armitage; Philip Branch
Editors
Typearticle
Year2007
Citekeyzander2007covert

Where it appeared

Published inIEEE Communications Magazine
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Volume45
Issue12
Pages136--142

Related

Distinct fromzander2007survey Same authors, same year, same subject, and the shorter record says outright what the relation is: zander2007covert's first page carries an editor's note stating it is REPRINTED FROM IEEE COMMUNICATIONS SURVEYS AND TUTORIALS, chosen from the third quarter 2007 issue to be featured in IEEE Communications Magazine, 'with the original format shortened for the magazine'. So zander2007survey is the full survey and zander2007covert is the abridged magazine reprint of it, at 7 pages. Cite the survey for substance; the reprint is the same work minus material. Neither reprint-of nor superseded-by fits an abridgement, which is why this stays distinct-from with the explanation here.
Distinct fromzander2007survey

Abstract

Covert channels are used for the secret transfer of information. Encryption only protects communication from being decoded by unauthorized parties, whereas covert channels aim to hide the very existence of the communication. Initially, covert channels were identified as a security threat on monolithic systems such as mainframes. More recently, focus has shifted toward covert channels in computer network protocols. The huge amount of data and large number of different protocols in the Internet is ideal as a high-bandwidth vehicle for covert communication. This article provides an overview of the existing techniques for creating covert channels in widely deployed network protocols, and common methods for their detection, elimination, and capacity limitation.

A copy is held

pdf, 85.9 kB. Not published — it may be under copyright. The facts and links here are.

How it got here

How it got hereagent via crossref
Added2026-08-21 00:00 UTC
Approved bya person 2026-08-26 14:44 UTC

Filed under

commag

Cite it as

@article{zander2007covert,
  title        = {Covert channels and countermeasures in computer network protocols [Reprinted from IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials]},
  author       = {Sebastian Zander and Grenville Armitage and Philip Branch},
  year         = {2007},
  journal      = {IEEE Communications Magazine},
  publisher    = {Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers},
  volume       = {45},
  number       = {12},
  pages        = {136--142},
  doi          = {10.1109/mcom.2007.4395378},
}

This record lives at https://refs.drheap.org/zander2007covert/ and will keep doing so.