Open-source RTP Library for End-to-End Encrypted Real-Time Video Streaming Applications

Abstract

Information security has become a key success factor for streaming media applications that are increasingly vulnerable to wiretapping, message forgery, data tampering, hacking, and other possible cyberattacks. This paper addresses the existing security risks in real-time video streaming by introducing a new security extension to our uvgRTP open-source Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) library. The proposed solution improves content integrity and privacy by adopting Secure RTP (SRTP) and Zimmermann RTP (ZRTP) for media End-to-End Encryption (E2EE). These new security mechanisms make uvgRTP the first open-source library that supports on-the-fly encrypted AVC, HEVC, and VVC video streaming. Our performance results on Intel Core i7-4770 processor show that uvgRTP is able to transport encrypted 8K VVC video at up to 187 fps and 8K HEVC video at up to 120 fps over a 10 Gbps Local Area Network (LAN). The achieved transfer rate for encrypted HEVC video is 50% higher and latency 86% lower than the respective performance values of FFmpeg in unencrypted HEVC streaming. These top streaming speed results with state-of-the-art video codec support, advanced encryption mechanisms, and the permissive BSD license make uvgRTP an attractive solution for a broad range of commercial and academic streaming media applications.