CoDE - An application-layer framework for confidentiality in distributed environments

A new generation of networked applications and social utilities, originating inter alia from the ongoing trend towards high-performance mobile devices, tightens exigencies relative to the processing of sensitive data. However, in order to ensure their correct operation, many of these applications require such information to be exchanged, and thus need to implement a differentiated confidentiality concept in this regard. This paper introduces CoDE, a unified framework defining a set of collaboratively enforced confidentiality levels through an application-layer protocol which covers a wide range of distributed scenarios with a particular focus on decentralized operation, efficiency and simplicity. First evaluations show promising results with regard to a variety of network types involving different transmission ranges, packet loss rates or noise, along with a high churn degree.