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12th USENIX Security Symposium — Abstract
Pp. 295-308 of the Proceedings
Establishing the Genuinity of Remote Computer Systems
Rick Kennell and Leah H. Jamieson, Purdue University
Abstract
A fundamental problem in distributed computing environments involves
determining whether a remote computer system can be trusted to
autonomously access secure resources via a network. In this paper, we
describe a means by which a remote computer system can be challenged to
demonstrate that it is genuine and trustworthy. Upon passing a
test, it can be granted access to distributed resources and can serve
as a general-purpose host for distributed computation so long as it
remains in contact with some certifying authority. The test we
describe is applicable to consumer-grade computer systems with a
conventional network interface and requires no additional hardware.
The results of the test can be conveyed over an unsecured network; no
trusted human intermediary is needed to relay the results. We examine
potential attacks and weaknesses of the system and show how they can
be avoided. Finally, we describe an implementation of a
genuinity test for a representative set of computer systems.
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