commit d8b78e0729a1e5d16244812fbc86b9fa9f29f5b0 Author: Mike Perry <mikeperry-git@torproject.org> Date: Mon May 4 20:14:38 2015 -0700 Describe user behavior as a fingerprinting source. Also generalize TCP Port to TCP Port and Local Network. --- design-doc/design.xml | 38 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---------- 1 file changed, 28 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-) diff --git a/design-doc/design.xml b/design-doc/design.xml index 3d4f18e..fbec073 100644 --- a/design-doc/design.xml +++ b/design-doc/design.xml @@ -1464,8 +1464,10 @@ severe, and how to study the efficacy of defenses properly. <title>Sources of Fingerprinting Issues</title> <para> -All fingerprinting issues arise from one of four primary sources. In order -from most severe to least severe, these sources are: +All fingerprinting issues arise from one of four primary sources in the +browser. Additionally, user behavior itself provides one more source of +potential fingerprinting. Listed in order from most severe to least severe in +terms of the amount of information they reveal, these sources are: </para> <orderedlist> @@ -1487,13 +1489,15 @@ do so only on a per-site basis via site permissions, to avoid linkability. <listitem><command>Device and Hardware Characteristics</command> <para> -Device and hardware characteristics can be determined in three ways: they can be -reported explicitly by the browser, they can be inferred through API behavior, -or they can be extracted through statistical measurements of system -performance. We are most concerned with the cases where this information is -either directly reported or can be determined via a single use of an API or -feature, and prefer to place such APIs either behind site permissions, or -disable them entirely. +Device and hardware characteristics can be determined in three ways: they can +be reported explicitly by the browser, they can be inferred through browser +functionality, or they can be extracted through statistical measurements of +system performance. We are most concerned with the cases where this +information is either directly reported or can be determined via a single use +of an API or feature, and prefer to place such APIs either behind site +permissions, alter their functionality to prevent exposing the most variable +aspects of these characteristics, or disable them entirely. + </para> <para> @@ -1522,6 +1526,20 @@ specific version of a system can be inferred. </para> </listitem> + <listitem><command>User Behavior</command> + <para> + +While somewhat outside the scope of browser fingerprinting, for completeness +it is important to mention that users themselves theoretically might be +fingerprinted through their behavior while interacting with a website. This +behavior includes as keystrokes, mouse movements, click speed, and writing +style. Basic vectors such as keystroke and mouse usage fingerprinting can be +mitigated by altering Javascript's notion of time. More advanced issues like +writing style fingerprinting are the domain of <ulink +url="https://github.com/psal/anonymouth">other tools</ulink>. + + </para> + </listitem> <listitem><command>Browser Vendor and Version Differences</command> <para> @@ -1633,7 +1651,7 @@ image data, pure white image data is returned to the Javascript APIs. <para> </para> </listitem> - <listitem>Open TCP Port Fingerprinting + <listitem>Open TCP Port and Local Network Fingerprinting <para> In Firefox, by using either WebSockets or XHR, it is possible for remote