The Packet Vault: Secure Storage of Network data

Abstract

This paper describes the packet vault, a cryptographically secured archiver of network packet data. The vault captures network packets, encrypts them, and writes them to long-term CD-ROM storage for later analysis and evidentiary purposes. The cryptographic organization of the vault permits selected traffic to be made available without compromising the security of other traffic. Some weaknesses remain in the vault; we conclude with a description of present experiences and future plans.