InterNet: Packet Interception for Military Networks

05/23/2025

Communication has become indispensable for human existence. Ensuring that national defense entities have access to the latest cutting-edge technology for communication is a crucial factor in achieving communication security and enhanced performance. The main focus of this thesis is to develop a computer network infrastructure, running on dedicated hardware, designed to support secure military communications through a strict Red/Black segregation, which prevents sensitive data from being leaked to outside actors. To achieve this, a secure network tunnel application is developed by evaluating various user-space packet interception technologies, and providing a clear template for DISCRETION team members to integrate their research, including IPsec implementations. QoS is assessed and implemented, with a focus on evaluating different scheduling mechanisms that may impact the latency of high-priority traffic, while guaranteeing the functionality of core network services and applications. First, some background and state-of-the-art concepts are introduced to provide readers with the foundational knowledge necessary to understand the underlying solution. While this research does not implement IPsec itself, the developed network solution is built with its integration in mind. This will enable the secure transmission of confidential information, safeguard against potential attackers, and ensure the functionality of essential network services and applications typical in military environments, such as voice conferencing and email. Evaluation methods and results are discussed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed solution. The thesis concludes with a summary of the key contributions and suggestions for future research directions.

Authors in the community:

• 

  M

  Miguel José Carreira da Encarnação

  ist1105718

Supervisors of this institution:

• 

  R

  Ricardo Jorge Fernandes Chaves

  ist143817

• 

  L

  Luis D. Pedrosa

  ist152872

electrical-engineering-electronic-engineering-information-engineering - Electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering

eng - English

Instituto Superior Técnico