M.I.T. DEPARTMENT OF EECS
| 6.033 - Computer System Engineering | Handout 20 - April 3, 2002 |
Today's lecture will be on Authentication. Please read Chapter 6 sections C and F of the course notes.
Please read Ken Thompson's "Reflections on Trusting Trust" which is available in your reading packet (Reading #15) and also online. Do not be deceived by the shortness of this paper -- it is very deep and requires a lot of thinking and understanding, but it is also fun, once you get the hang of it. Keep this in mind as your prepare a one-pager based on the following question:
Given that there are currently many different C compilers, both commercial and open source, discuss whether or not you can ensure that a C program that you write is free of the trojan horse described in the paper. In order to answer this question, you might want to think about what compiler(s) were used to compile the compiler(s) that you use and any common ancestry (code reuse) that they might have. You should discuss how much confidence you have that your program is trojan-free and whether or not this requires trust in any entities.
In preparation for this lecture on Authorization and Confidentiality, read sections D and E of Chapter 6 of the course notes.
For recitation, read Ross Anderson's "Why cryptosystems fail" (Reading #16). It is pretty easy reading, but read it with care; the author provides many interesting examples and insights. Please also do Hands-on #7 which is on web certificates.
Design Project 2 begins today by choosing partners; please form groups of 3 people who all have the same recitation instructor. Submit one list of your group members in recitation on Thursday April 18th. Details about the project will be handed out April 18, and it will be due on May 9th.
Patriot's Day Holiday, no class!
Today's lecture is on advanced authentication. Read section G of Chapter 6.
A quiz review will be held by the TA's in 54-100 from 7-9pm.
No one-pager. No hands-on. Study for Quiz 2!
The official Design Project 2 specifications will be released today. Check the news section of the web page!
Quiz 2 will be held from 2-3pm on Friday, April 19, 2002. This quiz will cover all material presented in L9 (Network Layers) through R17 (Why Crypto Systems Fail). The quiz will be open book. That means you can bring along any printed or written materials that you think might be useful. Calculators are allowed, though not necessary. The quiz format will be similar to quiz 1. You can find old quiz questions to practice on in the Problems and Solutions section following chapter 9 of the class notes. Be sure to check out both the independent problems and the problem sets that pertain to the current topics.
The quiz will be held in 34-101 and in Walker (50-340). See the chart below to determine which location you should go to for the quiz.
Last Name Location
A-G 34-101
H-Z Walker
The quiz is being held in a regularly scheduled class hour. The
date was announced at the beginning of the term, so you should not
have problems with scheduling conflicts. If, nevertheless, you have
managed to create a conflict, contact Prof. Kaashoek at
kaashoek@mit.edu as soon as possible to resolve the problem.
The price of reliability is the pursuit of the utmost simplicity.
-- Charles Anthony Richard Hoare, "The
emperor's old clothes" (1980)
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