Project 2 Topics (Option B: Research Survey/Study) - COMP 5900W

1. Memory mismanagement exploits. Many exploitable memory management problems are known besides stack-based buffer overflows, including: heap overflows (dynamically allocated memory); BSS or block storage segment overflows (static memory); and format string vulnerabilities. Explore and classify exploitable software vulnerabilities involving memory management, and recently proposed solutions. Suggested main references for problems: [Conover], [Scut]; for solutions: search recent conferences (e.g. NDSS, Usenix Security). Examples of more specialized articles: [Alelph1], [Twitch], [Bulba], [Gera], [FX]. (For Issue#NN of Phrack Magazine, see http://www.phrack.org/show.php?p=NN )
2. Security in peer-to-peer software systems. Make a proposal (including software implementation if appropriate). Or use as a starting point any of: [P2Pwg], [Couch], [McKean], [Good].
3. Automated tools for software protection. Survey recent research on software obfuscation and software tamper resistance; compare different approaches; explore which are complementary. Suggested references: [Wang], [Chen], [Horne], [ChangAttalah]; basic reference (may be covered in class): [Cohen].
4. Graphical passwords. Extend the existing analysis on graphical passwords (from class), and/or make new proposals (e.g. an alternate grid scheme for converting diagrams into password encodings); implement if appropriate. References: Jermyn et al. (from class); [Monrose99].
5. Generating crypto keys from voice. Explore and summarize work on generating keys from voice [MonReiter01], building on earlier work related to keystroke dynamics [Monrose01].
6. Hardware-assisted software protection. Propose a project related to protecting software and digital content, based on the Trusted Computing Platform Alliance (TCPA) and/or Microsoft's Palladium initiative.
7. Digital rights management. Propose a project related to software-based digital rights management (DRM).
8. Group key management and revocation schemes. Applications of group keying schemes include securing group email, conference calls, collaborative groupwork and broadcast media. Access to content is controlled through managing content decryption keys; an important aspect is revoking individual end-user access to such keys. Explore and summarize existing group key management and key revocation schemes suitable for practical use. Suggested starting references: [IETFmsecgsec], [Gkmoverview], [NaorNaor].
9. Finding cryptographic keys in memory. (includes software implementation) Van Someren and Shamir [VanS] have noted cryptographic keys are easily found in computer memory, being easily distinguished from other data items by their abnormal randomness. Indpendently verify their work, and/or extend it. (Run tests only on your own machines, or with the permission of others; do not break any laws!)
10. Human factors and computer security. Explore and summarize recent results on human factors and computer security. References: see [HFCSbibli].
11. Browser security and spoofing. Explore the difficulty (or ease) of malicious web servers spoofing legitimate web sites. Suggested starting references: [YeYuanSmith02], [Felten97].
12. Browser-based certificate problems. Explore, summarize, and discuss some of the following major browser certificate problmes over the past 3 years: flaw in certificate chain processing (2002) [zcertificate1]; erroneously-issued certificate (2001) [zcertificate2]; Y2K certificate expiry problem (2000) [zcertificate 3]. (Warning: be a cautious judge of the technical credibility of non-scientific online articles).
13. Non-browser certificate infrastructures. Explore issues related to non-browser-based PKIs. Recommended references: [Hesse02], [Elley01].
14. Password protocols resisting on-line dictionary attack. Propose alternatives or extensions to the paper and algorithms of Pinkas-Sander discussed in class.
15. Password protocols resisting off-line dictionary attack (including software implementation if appropriate). Perform an independent analysis, including efficiency comparisons (message exchanges; efficiency for parameters offering practical security), of EKE (from class) and other password-based protocols resisting off-line dictionary attack. Include a number of: SPEKE [Jablon], SRP [Wu], and AMP [Kwon] (see also [SPA]). If you carry out implementations to aid timing comparisons, use publicly available big-integer crypto-math packages.
16. Web client authentication reality. Explore and summarize issues related to current practice of web authentication. Main reference: [Fu01].
17. Trends in malicious code. Summarize major malicious code incidents from the past 2 years (e.g. Code Red; Nimda; Sircam; etc.), discuss apparent trends in depth, and predictions made by experts such as Staniford et al. (see class reading), and CERT (see http://www.cert.org).
18. Determining safety of externally-supplied binary code. Explore and summarize Necula's seminal work [Necula96] on proof-carrying-code (PCC), and more recent progress in this area.
19. Crypto schemes limiting damage due to compromised keys. Long-term keys in standard cryptographic algorithms are vulnerable to key compromise (e.g. see [VanS]). Explore and summarize the problem of undetected key compromise [Just], and related work including forward-secure signatures [Bell99] and key-insulated cryptosystems [Dodis].
20. Practical acceptance of cryptographic infrastructures. Examine the challenges of digital signature systems being accepted in practice. Issues include: perceived and actual security threats, the veracity of public-key bindings to real-world identities, certificate revocation issues, relationships between signatures and authorization. Example references (see instructor also): [VanS]; [Winn]; [Cryptogram].
21. Non-technical barriers to digital signatures in practice. Carry out a detailed analysis of non-technical barriers to the success of digital signature systems in practice (e.g. societal and cultural factors, legal issues, user interfaces, etc.) Propose solutions for removing the barriers, or arguments as to why they are not likely to be eliminated. References: see instructor.
22. New topic. Propose your own topic, including the major references. It must be related to the course outline.