The case for transient authentication

ABSTRACT

How does a machine know who is using it? Currently, systems assume that the user typing now is the same person who supplied a password days ago. Such persistent authentication is inappropriate for mobile and ubiquitous systems, because associations between people and devices are fleeting. To address this, we propose transient authentication. In this model, a user wears a small hardware token that authenticates the user to other devices over a short-range, wireless link. This paper presents the four principles of transient authentication, our experience applying the model to a cryptographic file system, and our plans for extending the model to other services and applications.

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