[Seth-Trips] Marc Stiegler on security at Stanford, Nov. 12

[Seth David Schoen]

(Thanks to Dan.)

Immediately after this talk, you should come to my talk and Whit
Diffie's talk in Mountain View (see following message).

>Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 12:33:36 -0800 (PST)
>To: dnm at pobox.com
>From: allison at stanford.edu
>Subject: [CSL Colloq] The Skynet Virus * 4:15PM, Wed Nov 12, 2003 in Gates
>B03  
>
>
>               COMPUTER SYSTEMS LABORATORY COLLOQUIUM
>                  4:15PM, Wednesday, Nov 12, 2003
>        NEC Auditorium, Gates Computer Science Building B03
>                    http://ee380.stanford.edu[1]
>
>Topic:    The Skynet Virus
>           Why It Is Unstoppable, How To Stop It
>
>Speaker:  Marc Stiegler
>           Hewlett Packard
>
>About the talk:
>
>In Terminator 3, the SkyNet AI distributes itself globally,
>becoming invulnerable to destruction, by exploiting the
>fundamental failure of computer security. it then destroys the
>world when it gains control of America's nuclear missiles. While
>this is a considerably more serious disaster than any wrought so
>far by cyber-crackers, cyber-terrorists, or cyber-warriors, the
>flaws that make SkyNet unstoppable are the same flaws that make
>crackers, terrorists, and warriors possible. The same fix that
>eliminates crackers can terminate the Terminators.
>
>This presentation starts by examining in detail the fundamental
>flaw in computer security today--the ludicrously excessive
>authority granted to even silly programs like Barbie Fashion
>Designer. We go on to see how the Principle of Least Authority
>(also known as the Principle of Least Privilege), once
>ubiquitously applied, can end the madness while simultaneously
>making the user interface to security simpler than it is today.
>
>About the speaker:
>
>Mr. Stiegler is currently a Visiting Scholar at Hewlett-Packard.
>Previous to this appointment, as COO of Combex Inc., Mr. Stiegler
>led a DARPA research contract to build a working prototype of a
>capability secure desktop that is invulnerable to traditional
>computer viruses and trojan horses. Mr. Stiegler designed and
>implemented the application launch framework for the desktop,
>developing new forms of user interface/security integration that
>allow people to safely use even virus-ridden applications without
>having to work with even the normal litany of foolish security
>dialog boxes, passwords, and certificates. This desktop was later
>demonstrated in Mr. Stiegler's presentation, "Exploiting
>Virus-Laden Software", for the O'Reilly Emerging Technology
>Conference in 2002.
>
>Highlights of Stiegler's earlier works include serving as VP of
>Engineering for Autodesk, and winning the Software Publisher's
>Association Best New Business Software Award for DecideRight in
>1996.His sf novel Earthweb depicts a future in which a mature
>Web, with advanced features such as bidirectional links and idea
>futures, becomes the underpinning fabric of global society.
>
>Contact information:
>
>Marc Stiegler
>Hewlett-Packard
>Palo Alto, Ca
>928-279-6869
>marcs at skyhunter.com[2]
>
>
>Embedded Links:
>[ 1 ]    http://ee380.stanford.edu
>[ 2 ]    marcs at skyhunter.com

-- 
Seth David Schoen <schoen at loyalty.org> | Very frankly, I am opposed to people
     http://www.loyalty.org/~schoen/   | being programmed by others.
     http://vitanuova.loyalty.org/     |     -- Fred Rogers (1928-2003),
                                       |        464 U.S. 417, 445 (1984)