New Directions in Usable Security

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Much of life is now online, and new challenges have arisen involving security and privacy. In particular, the human factor has become increasingly important with the increase in the number of users, and the scale and diversity of usage. The field of "usable security" initially emerged to address making security software easier to use. This continues to be relevant, but the field now needs to address a wider range of complex issues. For example, mobile devices and cloud computing involve new and ever-changing contexts of use, new populations now rely on computing infrastructure, and organizations must now ensure security to protect their business interests and those of their users. The proposed research program will develop and explore a framework for practical solutions across the spectrum of human factors challenges to computer security.******This research program is intended to move usable security onto a wider stage by addressing new kinds of challenges. While the agenda may seem diverse, there are several underlying concepts that unite the work. One is the idea that security and usability are not necessarily opposed, but can be connected by design that makes the secure outcome also the easiest path. We also leverage several theoretical frameworks across our work, in particular the idea of distributed cognition, where software offloads burden from the user, and special supporting roles supported by software allow users to devote undivided attention to key concerns. Finally, our work has a common empirical focus: we study real systems and usage environments, design practical software, conduct dispassionate evaluation, and aim for harm reduction.