Abstract

IP multicast services, especially commercial IP multicast services, are not widely deployed. One of the important obstacles to its deployment is related to the current IP multicast model. The current IP multicast model provides by nature a non-secure, non-controlled way for end systems attached to a network to access multicast traffic. Lack of information about users and access control in this model makes it more vulnerable to different types of attacks and also creates difficulties for a service provider to generate enough revenue. The Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) is used by IPv4 systems and the Multicast Listener Discovery (MLD) is used by IPv6 systems, to report their IP multicast group memberships to any neighboring multicast routers. A new proposal is presented in this thesis to authenticate multicast end users and to control user access to the multicast group communication. The inter-domain security infrastructure AAA framework is incorporated, and the IGMP/MLD messages are extended, to provide user authentication and access control services. The user information in the system can enable a provider to control the distribution of the multicast traffic as well as to collect real time user accounting information.