An approach of covert communication based on the Ethereum whisper protocol in blockchain

International Journal of Intelligent SystemsVolume 36, Issue 2 p. 962-996 RESEARCH ARTICLE An approach of covert communication based on the Ethereum whisper protocol in blockchain Lejun Zhang, Corresponding Author Lejun Zhang zhanglejun@yzu.edu.cn orcid.org/0000-0002-3458-7431 College of Information Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China School Mathematics and Computer Science, Quanzhou Normal University, Quanzhou, China Correspondence Lejun Zhang, College of Information Engineering, Yangzhou University, 225127 Yangzhou, China. Email: zhanglejun@yzu.edu.cn Zhuzhu Wang, School of Cyber Engineering, Xidian University, 710071 Xi'an, China. Email zzwang_2@stu.xidian.edu.cnSearch for more papers by this authorZhijie Zhang, Zhijie Zhang orcid.org/0000-0002-4829-2546 College of Information Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorZilong Jin, Zilong Jin orcid.org/0000-0001-5608-7748 School of Computer and Software, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorYansen Su, Yansen Su orcid.org/0000-0002-3855-7133 Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing and Signal Processing of Ministry of Education, School of Computer Science and Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorZhuzhu Wang, Corresponding Author Zhuzhu Wang zzwang_2@stu.xidian.edu.cn orcid.org/0000-0002-8311-3654 School of Cyber Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an, China Correspondence Lejun Zhang, College of Information Engineering, Yangzhou University, 225127 Yangzhou, China. Email: zhanglejun@yzu.edu.cn Zhuzhu Wang, School of Cyber Engineering, Xidian University, 710071 Xi'an, China. Email zzwang_2@stu.xidian.edu.cnSearch for more papers by this author Lejun Zhang, Corresponding Author Lejun Zhang zhanglejun@yzu.edu.cn orcid.org/0000-0002-3458-7431 College of Information Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China School Mathematics and Computer Science, Quanzhou Normal University, Quanzhou, China Correspondence Lejun Zhang, College of Information Engineering, Yangzhou University, 225127 Yangzhou, China. Email: zhanglejun@yzu.edu.cn Zhuzhu Wang, School of Cyber Engineering, Xidian University, 710071 Xi'an, China. Email zzwang_2@stu.xidian.edu.cnSearch for more papers by this authorZhijie Zhang, Zhijie Zhang orcid.org/0000-0002-4829-2546 College of Information Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorZilong Jin, Zilong Jin orcid.org/0000-0001-5608-7748 School of Computer and Software, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorYansen Su, Yansen Su orcid.org/0000-0002-3855-7133 Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing and Signal Processing of Ministry of Education, School of Computer Science and Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorZhuzhu Wang, Corresponding Author Zhuzhu Wang zzwang_2@stu.xidian.edu.cn orcid.org/0000-0002-8311-3654 School of Cyber Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an, China Correspondence Lejun Zhang, College of Information Engineering, Yangzhou University, 225127 Yangzhou, China. Email: zhanglejun@yzu.edu.cn Zhuzhu Wang, School of Cyber Engineering, Xidian University, 710071 Xi'an, China. Email zzwang_2@stu.xidian.edu.cnSearch for more papers by this author First published: 11 November 2020 https://doi.org/10.1002/int.22327Citations: 6Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Abstract The traditional covert communication that relies on a central node is vulnerable to detection and attack. Applying blockchain to covert communication can improve the channel's anti-interference and antitampering. Whisper is the communication protocol of Ethereum, which mainly relies on payload to store information and padding to expand. These two fields can store a large amount of information, creating conditions for the realization of covert communication. In this paper, we propose a covert communication method based on the whisper protocol to covertly transfer information in the blockchain. To implement this method, we use payload to store the carrier information, matching it with the secret message. The generated index is recorded in the padding field. To improve the concealment of communication, we simulate the default filling rules of the protocol to maintain the message size. A new topic–key pair interaction method is also proposed to improve the security of the model. Moreover, the anti-interference, antitampering and antidetection of the newly proposed model are verified through theoretical analysis and experiment. The experimental findings show that the amount of information in the proposed method is 4.7 times that of the traditional time-based covert communication. The time consumption of information transmission is reduced to 52.25% under the same settings and even less in actual use. The cost of the new topic–key pair interaction is reduced by nearly 50% compared with the original method. Citing Literature Volume36, Issue2February 2021Pages 962-996 RelatedInformation