Internet Security Research Lab

If you’ve been here before, you’ll probably notice that there has been quite a dramatic change to this site. We are currently in the process of updating our site and transitioning to a blog-centric layout. Please excuse any odd behavior for the next week or so, as the transition is finalized. If you would like to view the old version of the website in the interim, click here.

At the same time, the old Yoda machine that used to serve as both our public web server as well as an internal file/cvs server has gone into hiding (although not quite so far as Dagobah). It is now no-longer accessible directly from outside the lab. The younger and hopefully more diplomatic Padme has taken it’s place as the public face of the ISRL. At the moment, the DNS situation is a little murky (yoda.cs.byu.edu points to padme), but as soon as the CS department system administrators come back from vacation, the entries for yoda.cs.byu.edu and padme.cs.byu.edu will be fixed.

Michael Edvalson defended his thesis on Friday, December 9 , 2006. Congratularions! Michael is now working at Integrinet Solutions.

Title: TrustBroker: A Defense Against Identiy Theft from Online Transactions

Abstract:

The proliferation of online services over the years has encouraged more and more people to participate in Internet activities. Many web sites request personal and sensitive information needed to deliver the desired service. Unfortunately, with such growth, it has become difficult to distinguish the sites that can be trusted to protect such information from those that cannot. Many attempts to make the Internet easier to use introduce new security and privacy problems. On the other hand, most attempts at creating a safe online environment produce systems that are cryptic and hard to use. The TrustBroker system is based on a specialized online repository that safelystores user information and helps the user determine which sites can be trusted with
their sensitive information. Also, the repository facilitates the transfer of the user’s information. The overall effect of the system is to inspire greater confidence in online participation among users who desire to protect their personal information.