Skip Links

Network World

  • Social Web 
  • Email 
  • Close

Security architecture emerges for first responders

Princeton prof pitches “transient trust” for network security
By Network World Staff , Network World , 11/02/2007

Princeton University researchers say they have come up with a new way to securely transmit crucial rescue information to first responders to situations such as natural disasters and terrorist attacks.

The new architecture supports what Princeton electrical engineering professor Ruby Lee calls "transient trust" – that is, the ability to swap sensitive data such as floor plans of a building or personal medical information securely on an as-needed basis. A paper ("Hardware-rooted Trust for Secure Key Management and Transient Trust") describing the work by ex-HP computer architect Lee (who leads the Princeton Architecture Lab for Multimedia and Security [PALMS]) and graduate student Jeffrey Dwoskin was presented this week at the Association for Computing Machinery Computer and Communications Security conference in Alexandria, Va.

The paper describes outfitting devices such as handheld computers used by first responders with elements dubbed a "device root key" and a "storage root hash" to enable temporary access to information. Building security from scratch into devices has been a big push for Lee.

"Our research shows that these hardware 'roots of trust' are actually quite deployable on consumer devices like desktop computers or PDAs, and also in sensor networks and larger servers," said Lee, in a statement

The work is part of the SecureCore multi-university research project, funded by the National Science Foundation Cyber Trust program and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Using network technology to better equip first responders to do their jobs has been a focus for many researchers and network product vendors of late.

We reported earlier this year on an effort by the Maryland Department of Transportation to build a system for identifying first responders in an effort to get emergency workers to disaster sites quickly and efficiently.

In September, a consortium of security vendors dubbed Tiers of Trust aired its plans to make it easier for emergency personnel to identify themselves at the scene of a disaster. 

Individual companies such as Cisco have been increasingly aggressive about building out their first responder gear

Check out Network World's Alpha Doggs blog for the latest in network research at universities and other labs.

 

Partner Content

Brilliantly simple security and control solutions for email, web and endpoint

www.sophos.com

Stopping data leakage

Learn how to exploit your current security investment to control the information that flows into, through and out of your network.

Download the white paper.

Why detection rates aren't enough

Evaluating endpoint security products is a time-consuming and daunting task. Learn the six critical questions you need to ask prospective vendors to get the right endpoint solution.

Download the white paper.

Applications: taking back control

Employees installing unauthorized applications is a growing threat to business security and productivity. Cost-effectively reduce this threat by integrating control into your malware protection.

Learn more today.

Comment
Login
Forgot your account info?
Add comment
Anonymous comments subject to approval. Register here for member benefits.
Have a NetworkWorld account? Log in here. Register now for a free account.

Videos

rssRss Feed

Whitepapers

Magic Quadrant for Application Delivery Controllers

Gartner summarizes its view on Application Delivery Controllers, evaluates strengths and weaknesses...

Vulnerability Management For Dummies

Download this concise book "Vulnerability Management for Dummies," to learn about the simple steps...

The ROI and TCO Benefits of Data Deduplication for Data Protection in the Enterprise

This paper examines and quantifies the costs and benefits of backup with deduplication storage as...

Webcasts

Transforming the Enterprise WAN Edge: Video from Cisco

Life on the edge of your WAN has changed dramatically. With the need to deliver advanced services,...

PoE Plus: Impact on the PoE Market

The standard for Power over Ethernet (PoE), IEEE Std. 802.3af(tm)-2003, advanced networking,...

Harnessing the power of communications to increase workplace performance

Due to the convergence of IT and telecommunications technologies, the business workplace has been...

Special Reports

The Evolution of Network Security

We have so many holes punched in our firewalls today that many industry insiders question the value...

The self-managed network

We aren't there yet, but advances in network and systems management tools are making it possible to...

Get instant email notification when white papers, webcasts, executive guides are added to our library. Stay informed and up-to-date with the latest on IT Technologies with Network World's Resource Alerts.