New Covert Channels in HTTP

TL;DR

This paper introduces novel covert channels in HTTP that leverage web browsing to create anonymous overlay networks, enhancing user privacy and unobservability in online communications.

Contribution

It proposes a new protocol exploiting web browsing activities to establish anonymous overlay networks with improved unobservability and larger anonymity sets.

Findings

Overlay network offers anonymity set larger than senders and receivers

Protocol achieves unobservability under realistic threat models

Enhances anonymous communication on the Internet

Abstract

This paper presents new methods enabling anonymous communication on the Internet. We describe a new protocol that allows us to create an anonymous overlay network by exploiting the web browsing activities of regular users. We show that the overlay network provides an anonymity set greater than the set of senders and receivers in a realistic threat model. In particular, the protocol provides unobservability in our threat model.