The Strengths of Weaker Identities: Opportunistic Personas

2nd USENIX Workshop on Hot Topics in Security

Mark Allman ; Christian Kreibich ; Vern Paxson ; Robin Sommer ; Nicholas Weaver

PID  :  81302

来源: CEUR

【 摘 要 】

Cryptographic security mechanisms often assume that keys or certificates are strongly tied to a party’s iden tity. This requirement can in practice impose a high bar on making effective use of the cryptographic protections, because securing the coupling between credentials and actual identity can prove to be an arduous process. We frame a more relaxed form of identity, termed oppor tunistic personas, that works by (i) generating crypto graphic credentials on an asneeded basis, (ii) associat ing credentials not with a user per se but instead as a link to past behavior by the same actor, as a means to inform future interactions, and (iii) managing these credentials implicitly in an opportunistic fashion. Using three real world examples, we illustrate the benefits this unortho