The Internet is Sick... But We Can Make it Better

Three More Security Solutions

Promising weapons in the fight against identity thieves and computer-killing viruses

Grey

A way to use biometric security in your cellphone to verify your identity

Who: Carnegie Mellon CyLab

Problems addressed: Identify theft, fraud, unauthorized access

How it works: Before you can log on to, say, your online bank account, the computer sends a message to your phone to verify that you should have access to that account. You type a PIN into the phone and use the phone's camera to take a facial-recognition scan. The phone delivers the information to a server, which gives the go- ahead to your bank's Web site to let you log in. An early version of this system opens doors at CyLab today. The technology, named for telekinetic "X-Men" character Jean Grey, could ultimately replace passwords, security badges

and the keys in your pocket, says Mike Reiter, CyLab's technical director.

When: A few years

More info: www.cylab.cmu.edu

Vigilante

Software that can recognize and stop never-before-seen viruses

Who: Microsoft Research

Problem addressed: Rapidly spreading viruses

How it works: Vigilante is a small program that sits in a computer's memory and constantly scans for suspicious behavior. Once the program recognizes an attack, it generates a security alert to other machines on the network. They then create a
filter so they can identify any mutations of the attack and stop them from executing-
no human intervention needed. "If you want to contain fast-spreading attacks, humans simply can't be involved," says lead researcher Manuel Costa. "It takes them too much time to look at things."

When: Unknown

More info: research.microsoft.com/vigilante

Shibboleth

A system that confirms users without revealing personal data

Who: Internet2 consortium

Problems solved: Identity theft and protecting online privacy

How it works: Shibboleth passes on only the barest minimum of personal information needed to sign on to a site or to complete a transaction without your having to disclose your identity. Penn State University students use it to log on to a free legal music download site. Shibboleth ascertains that they're enrolled students without matching their names to the music they've downloaded. By giving out less information, you reduce your risk of identity theft, says Ken Klingenstein, director of Internet2's Middleware Initiative.

When: Now

More info: shibboleth.internet2.edu