Homework #12 - Authentication - Due Monday March 16, 1PM

Turn in this assignment via email (vern@berkeley.edu) by the due date, with the term Homework in the Subject.

Read the paper Conditioned-safe Ceremonies and a User Study of an Application to Web Authentication, Chris Karlof, J.D. Tygar, and David Wagner, NDSS 2009

  1. Briefly write up your views of:

    1. What are the main contributions of this paper?

    2. What parts of the paper do you find unclear? (optional)

    3. What parts of the paper are questionable? (That is, you think a conclusion may be wrong, an approach or evaluation technically flawed, or data ill-presented.)

  2. Do one of the following:

    1. Locate a research paper or a news event relating to authentication (broadly interpreted) that you find interesting. Give citation/URL information. Explain what's particularly interesting/distinct/significant about it, and from a skim briefly discuss the relevant issues, their apparent resolution, and what related issues remain.

    2. Sketch a defense against phishing that you believe has good prospects of being both effective and practical. Defend your viewpoint.