Optical Onion Routing

TL;DR

This paper introduces Optical Onion Routing, a novel privacy-preserving routing technique for optical networks inspired by internet onion routing, utilizing layered encryption with optical components to ensure perfect privacy and security.

Contribution

It proposes a new optical anonymization node architecture and encryption methods, including optical XOR and LFSR-based key generation, tailored for optical networks.

Findings

Proves formal privacy and security of the proposed optical onion routing.

Designs a practical optical anonymization system with layered encryption.

Provides foundational techniques for privacy in future optical networks.

Abstract

As more and more data is transmitted in the configurable optical layer, whereby all optical switches forward packets without electronic layers involved, we envision privacy as the intrinsic property of future optical networks. In this paper, we propose Optical Onion Routing (OOR) routing and forwarding techniques, inspired by the onion routing in the Internet layer, the best known realization of anonymous communication today, but designed with specific features innate to optical networks. We propose to design the optical anonymization network system with a new optical anonymization node architecture, including the optical components and their electronic counterparts to realize layered encryption. We propose modification to the secret key generation using Linear Feedback Shift Register (LFSR), able to utilize different primitive irreducible polynomials, and the usage optical XOR operation as encryption, an important optical technology coming of age. We prove formally that, for the proposed encryption techniques and distribution of secret information, the optical onion network is perfectly private and secure. The paper aims at providing practical foundations for privacy-enhancing optical network technologies.