Thursday, October 28, Volen 101, 2:00-3.00 pm
A common misconception is that security flaws involve abstruse mathematical weaknesses in cryptographic algorithms. While it is possible to have weak cryptographic algorithms, the world does not need insecure cryptographic systems in order to design, build, and deploy insecure network protocols.
This talk discusses example mistakes people have made when designing or implementing network protocols. Examples include an e-mail standard that allowed forging of signatures, a public key scheme less secure than a secret key scheme, a system that thought encryption implied integrity protection, and public key chain rules that are unworkable in practice.
Bio: Radia Perlman is a Distinguished Engineer at Sun Microsystems. She is known for her contributions to bridging (spanning tree algorithm) and routing (link state routing) as well as security (sabotage-proof networks). She is the author of "Interconnections: Bridges and Routers", and co-author of Network Security: Private Communication in a Public World", two of the top 10 Networking reference books, according to Network Magazine. She is one of the networking industry's 25 most influential people, according to Data Communications Magazine. She has about 50 issued patents in the fields of routing and security. She has a PhD in computer science and degrees in mathematics from MIT.
Host: Liuba Shrira