UW Computer Security Research and Course Blog

This comic should make more sense after today’s lecture.

Anyone who has travelled within the past 6 years has experienced the excruciating joy of going through modern airport security. For most domestic flights your checked bags go through one set of security procedures, and your person and carry on items go through another. I will be focusing on the personal/carry on side of airport security. (Read on …)

The latest version (7) of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer web browser, like their latest Windows (Vista) operating system, is supposed to be the most secure version in the product’s history. A complete security review of either IE7 or Vista is outside the scope of this post, but there is one very interesting security feature found at the intersection of the two, called “Protected Mode.” Presented as a feature intended to limit the possible damage even if every other security feature in IE7 fails, Protected Mode limits the browser’s ability to modify the system in case of an attack while preserving the ability to execute other tasks, such as downloading files and allowing helper programs, plug-ins, and the user to interact with the browser much as before. (Read on …)

While we have access to reasonably priced soda in the ACM lounge or the Benson store, the average person looking for a convenient drink has to shell out between $1.75 and $2 to buy from a pop machine.  But why pay if you don’t have to?  It is obvious that the manufacturers of these machines have put thought into their security: most machines will hardly let you reach in for the drink you bought, let alone reaching up into the machine.  Despite this, it is still possible to manipulate the machines into giving away drinks.  Is their security good enough for most situations?  Is the security too good?  Let’s find out…

(Read on …)