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A covert channel is a security attack that allows data to be accessed and transferred between processes in a way that normal protocols would not allow. It can be detected by monitoring for unusual data usage, but attackers may mimic legitimate operations. Covert channels have limited bandwidth and can be tedious, making them more likely to be discovered the longer they are active. Security protocols can detect irregularities in resource use and help prevent future breaches.
A covert channel is a type of security attack that operates outside the normal parameters associated with computer security protocols used to protect the system. In essence, this type of cybersecurity breach makes it possible for data to be accessed and transferred between processes in a way that such protocols would not normally allow. Identifying the presence of a covert channel is not necessarily difficult, although most breaches of this type will attempt to mimic legitimate operations and therefore will not be detected by security measures. Depending on the type of computer surveillance software used to monitor a system and the presence of some type of flaw that allows computer security exploits, the monitoring will often detect something unusual in the way data is being used and will eventually aware of the attack.
One of the easiest ways to understand how a secret channel works is to think in terms of two people carrying on a conversation in what they believe is a safe place. What they don’t know is that a third party has set up a listening device in the room with them and is capturing every word they say. The device does not interfere with the exchange of information between the two parties, but allows an unauthorized party to access this information and possibly use it for purposes not authorized by either party. In a sense, this is what a covert channel provides; access to data that would otherwise not be possible, allowing the recipient to use it without the authorization of the data owners being accessed.
Typically, a covert channel is not of the highest quality. The need to create as small a footprint as possible means that the bandwidth used to drive the channel will be reduced. This in turn can mean that acquiring and transferring data can take longer than using the protocols allowed by the system’s security measures. Because the transfer rate is limited to smaller blocks of data, the transfer can be extremely tedious and require a good deal of patience. The chances of the covert channel being discovered are greater the longer it is active, so security attackers will normally only allow so much time for an active session before closing the channel and returning later for another session.
Many of the security protocols designed and implemented in both business and home computer systems since the early 21st century include the ability to note irregularities in resource use and the small amount of power that covert channel attacks usually generate . Assuming the channel is left open long enough for security mechanisms to detect the breach, the problem can usually be resolved within a short period of time. This in turn allows system owners and operators to devise additional security measures that help minimize the recurrence of this type of security breach at a later date.
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