Title: 3D Printing Security: Using UUID-based Text Watermarking to Secure GCODE Files
| Issue Number: | Vol. 11, No. 2 |
| Year of Publication: | 2022 |
| Page Numbers: | 11-19 |
| Authors: | Timothy Strowbridge, Paolina Centonze |
| Journal Name: | International Journal of Cyber-Security and Digital Forensics (IJCSDF) - Hong Kong |
Abstract:
3D printing is a powerful method of new technology in the field of manufacturing. It uses the layering of melted materials such as plastic or metal to create 3D shapes that harden when the materials unmelt. The main method is to develop the shape in a model rendering software. Then using a splicer to convert the software into a list of instructions that the printer follows to carry out the print. These instructions are in the form of a GCODE file. These files are insecure and vulnerable to tampering. An altered GCODE file could result in catastrophic failure of the printed part. As such, we developed a method of ensuring the authenticity of these files with Text Watermarking. We created a defense for a technology that is relatively unprotected. We created 2 python programs. One for adding watermarks that will be used to compare to the text to ensure that it has not been changed. And the other to compare the text to its watermark to look for changes. Overall, we were successful in developing a program capable of detecting changes of varying sizes to the GCODE file after it was printed.