Security for Ubiquitous Computing
Frank Stajano
Computer Laboratory, Cambridge
Ubiquitous computing, over a decade in the making, has finally
graduated from whacky buzzword through fashionable research
topic to something that is definitely and inevitably happening.
This will mean revolutionary changes in the way computing affects
our society: changes of the same magnitude and scope as those
brought about by the World Wide Web.
When throw-away computing capabilities are embedded in shoes,
drink cans and postage stamps, security and privacy take on entirely
new meanings. Programmers, engineers and system designers will have to
learn to think in new ways. Ubiquitous computing is not simply a
wireless version of the Internet with a thousand times more computers,
and it would be a naive mistake to imagine that the traditional security
solutions for distributed systems will scale to the new scenario.
Authentication, authorization, and even concepts as fundamental as
ownership require thorough rethinking. At a higher level still, even
goals and policies must be revised. One question we should keep
asking is simply "Security for whom?" The owner of a device, for example,
is no longer necessarily the party whose interests the device will attempt to safeguard.
Ubiquitous computing is happening and will affect everyone.
Before focusing on the implementation details, in this high level talk
we'll have a serious look at the big picture, highlighting both
opportunities and risks of ubicomp.
Wednesday Seminars
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