Threat Models for Analyzing Plausible Deniability of Deniable File Systems

Plausible deniability is a property of Deniable File System (DFS), which are encrypted using a Plausibly Deniable Encryption (PDE) scheme, where one cannot prove the existence of a hidden file system within it. This paper investigates widely used security models that are commonly employed for analyzing DFSs. We contend that these models are no longer adequate considering the changing technological landscape that now encompass platforms like mobile and cloud computing as a part of everyday life. This necessitates a shift in digital forensic analysis paradigms, as new forensic models are required to detect and analyze DFSs. As such, it is vital to develop new contemporary threat models that cater for the current computing environment that incorporates the increasing use of mobile and cloud technology. In this paper, we present improved threat models for PDE, against which DFS hidden volumes and hidden operating systems can be analyzed. In addition, we demonstrate how these contemporary threat models can be adopted to attack and defeat the plausible deniability property of a widely used DFS software.