Collaborative

Wireless connectivity has become the primary way most users access cyberspace. The wide use of the internet on wireless and mobile devices is further encouraged with new services that simultaneously engage and connect a large number of users. As a result, the society at large is quickly getting comfortable with the idea of conducting everyday lives on mobile devices most of which require communicating sensitive and confidential information over the wireless medium. Consequently, secure access to cyberspace necessitates wireless security.

The goal of the Modular Approach to Cloud Security (MACS) project is to develop methods for building information systems with meaningful multi-layered security guarantees. The modular approach of MACS focuses on systems that are built from smaller and separable functional components, where the security of each component is asserted individually, and where the security of the system as a whole can be derived from the security of its components. The project concentrates on building outsourced, cloud-based information services with client-centric security guarantees.

In online social networks, people and their connections often share personal information, such as demographics, interests, and opinions, and leave traces of their interaction with others and content in the network. Not everyone wants to share personal information; however, people's attributes are correlated with each other among themselves, with attributes of nearby people in the network, and between a person's accounts on different networks. These correlations create risks around inferring attributes people would rather keep private.

Mobile devices have been very successful and continue to expand their user base. However, the very features that have made these devices successful, e.g., rich sensor inputs (GPS, camera, microphone) and continuous Internet connectivity, have also made the devices a favorite target for attackers. Attacks can have many negative consequences, from stealing users' secrets to spying on the users or installing viruses that render devices inoperable.

Many ordinary people desire anonymous communication for good reason, such as to keep their medical histories confidential or their finances to themselves. People in totalitarian countries may want to communicate about their views anonymously. This project could enable anonymous participation in spaces like Wikipedia and Reddit, while avoiding the negative social behaviors for these online communities of such participation.