Security is a key requirement for all internet services. A peer-assisted streaming network is no exception to this rule and has its very own demands. Despite the decentralized nature of the distribution process, broadcasters have to be able to maintain full control over their streamed content. At the same time listeners must be able to trust in the authenticity of received audio fragments which are forwarded by other unknown members of the audience. The StreamForge solution incorporates two independent security mechanisms which address these challenges.

There are various reasons to enforce access restrictions to a stream. Radio stations may only have a license to broadcast their program within a specific country or premium content is only to be made accessible to paying customers. The StreamForge solution therefore offers various access control mechanisms: Streams can be limited to geographic areas and countries but also to networks of specific ISPs. Furthermore, a login-based solution is also available. User registration can thereby be solved directly within the player or through an external user management system. Feel free to contact us if you are interested in a custom solution.

In a peer-assisted network it is mandatory to enable each user to verify the authenticity of all received audio fragments. Each of these fragments was possibly forwarded many times by other unknown members of the audience. To ensure that none of these listeners has tampered with the audio data each fragment contains a signature which nobody but the streaming server can generate. Only if its signature matches a fragment's content it is played. At StreamForge we have developed a new authentication mechanism which enables fine-grained, real-time verification of all received audio data. With our solution it is for the first time possible to achieve low-delay playback and security at the same time.