Frank Stajano, University of Cambridge

Frank Stajano (Dr. Ing., PhD) is a faculty member at the Laboratory for Communication Engineering of the University of Cambridge. Before this post he worked for several years as a research scientist for Olivetti, Oracle, AT&T and Toshiba, and was made a Toshiba Fellow in 2000. He is a gadget freak, sometimes wearing more electronic devices than garments.

For the past few years his main research themes have been computer security and ubiquitous computing, both covered in his latest book "Security for Ubiquitous Computing" (Wiley, 2002). He has authored over 30 publications, including two patent applications now owned by Toshiba.

As an active member of the research community he has served on the committee of over 10 international conferences. He maintains strong links with industry and academia in three continents and is often in demand as a security consultant or guest lecturer. Outside computers he is a keen practitioner of the art of the Japanese sword: he earned the rank of second dan in Japan and is now the leader of the Kendo society of the University of Cambridge.

Track:   Pervasive Computing

Abstract:

Ubiquitous computing, over a decade in the making, has finally graduated from whacky buzzword through fashionable research topic to something that is definitely and inevitably happening. This will mean revolutionary changes in the way computing affects our society: changes of the same magnitude and scope as those brought about by the World Wide Web. When throw-away computing capabilities are embedded in shoes, drink cans and postage stamps, security and privacy take on entirely new meanings. Programmers, engineers and system designers will have to learn to think in new ways. Ubiquitous computing is not just a wireless version of the Internet with a thousand times more computers, and it would be a naive mistake to imagine that the traditional security solutions for distributed systems will scale to the new scenario. Authentication, authorization, and even concepts as fundamental as ownership require thorough rethinking. At a higher level still, even goals and policies must be revised. One question we should keep asking is simply "Security for whom?" The owner of a device, for example, is no longer necessarily the party whose interests the device will attempt to safeguard. Ubiquitous computing is happening and will affect everyone. By itself it will never be "secure" (whatever this means) if not for the dedicated efforts of people like us who actually do the work. We are the ones who can make the difference. So, before focusing on the implementation details, let's have a serious look at the big picture.

Track:   Pervasive Computing