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 â€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. â€If you want to contain fast-spreading attacks, humans simply can´t be involved,†says lead researcher Manuel Costa. â€It takes them too much time to look at things.â€

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