Today, though, we live in a networked world. While the benefits of being connected are undeniable, so are the added security risks. Unless adequate precautions are taken, intrusions can occur. Messages can be intercepted, allowing an eavesdropper to capture data or passwords. Harmful files can be downloaded unwittingly, corrupting other files or even giving a hacker access to one's entire system.
Impostors can con users into revealing valuable information, resulting in financial losses.
That's why Safford and colleagues at Watson, as well as at other Research labs and sites throughout the company, are developing new schemes to address specific security loopholes or improve existing ones that not only protect your data, but ultimately will create a more secure environment for networked computing. For most applications, current encryption schemes can meet the first goal of preserving privacy. More problematic is the fact that encryption can't verify who is communicating with whom. IBM Research played a key role in developing DCE, which the foundation has adopted as a standard. Other groups at Watson and in Zurich are developing further security solutions based on smartcards, most notably secure electronic payments and secure electronic ticketing.