Puzzle 23: November 18, 2019

The IP Commission Report: The Report of the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property, has the following recommendation (p. 81):

Additionally, software can be written that will allow only authorized users to open files containing valuable information. If an unauthorized person accesses the information, a range of actions might then occur. For example, the file could be rendered inaccessible and the unauthorized user’s computer could be locked down, with instructions on how to contact law enforcement to get the password needed to unlock the account. Such measures do not violate existing laws on the use of the Internet, yet they serve to blunt attacks and stabilize a cyber incident to provide both time and evidence for law enforcement to become involved.

What problems might this idea (specifically, making the file inaccessible and locking the user’s computer) pose?


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Matt Bishop
Office: 2209 Watershed Sciences
Phone: +1 (530) 752-8060
Email: mabishop@ucdavis.edu
ECS 153, Computer Security
Version of November 17, 2019 at 2:26PM

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