RMLCC: Recovery-based multi-layer connected chain mechanism for multicast source authentication

Source authentication in multicast communication is essential and challenging requirement. We address the multicast stream authentication problem when the communication channel is under the control of an opponent who can drop, reorder or inject data. In such a network model, packet overhead and computing efficiency are important parameters to be taken into account when designing a multicast source authentication mechanism. The proposed scheme in this paper is highly robust to packet loss. It consists of a multi-layer connected chain structure in addition to an efficient recovery information model based on simple XOR operations. Our mechanism provides non-repudiation of the origin, low communication overhead, low delay and buffer capacity on the receiver side. NS-2 simulations show significant improvements over mechanisms in the same category.