HP researchers looking to turn virus protection methods upside down

A team of Hewlett-Packard researchers is currently developing software which could provide ‘virus-safe computing’ at the desktop level. Currently, all major operating systems are designed in such a way that each program mirrors the rights of the logged-in user, meaning it has open access to anything on the user's desktop.

Researchers at HP Labs believe that the key to making PCs virus-proof is to turn this approach to rights management on its head – using the ‘Principal of Least Authority’. This technique limits the rights of each individual computer program to the bare-minimum needed to make the program operable and users have to actively allow the program to have more rights.

Such an approach would prevent viruses being able to utilize vulnerabilities and back-door techniques.

•Date: 10th Jan 2006• Region: World • Type: Article •Topic: ISM
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