An Intelligent Authentication Framework for Ubiquitous Computing Environments

Jalal Al-Muhtadi
UIUC, Software Research Group
Wednesday, May 4, 2005
4 PM, 3405 SC

Abstract

We are witnessing a revolutionary computing paradigm that promises to transform the way we interact with computers, devices, physical spaces and other people. This new technology envisions a world where processing power and digital communication are extremely inexpensive commodities that are widely available, everywhere and anywhere. Ubiquitous computing has fueled the idea of constructing sentient and information-rich Active Spaces that extend the boundaries of traditional computing to encompass physical spaces, embedded devices, sensors, and other machinery. However, security and information assurance will be the main barrier to the wide deployment of this technology. Without a proper initial design for security, ubiquitous computing environments could be rife with vulnerabilities. Security for ubiquitous computing cannot just be a mere adaptation of existing security mechanisms. Instead, new protocols and novel mechanisms need to be devised in order to handle the ubiquity, context awareness, and calm user interfaces that such environments advocate. In my work, I introduce an intelligent framework for authentication in ubiquitous computing that takes into account the special requirements dictated by such environments.