Protecting Unattended Computers Without Software

Abstract

In many environments, users login to workstations and then leave them unattended. Rather than trying to stop users from doing what comes naturally, this paper suggests a simple, hardware-based system that can protect computers in such an environment from unauthorized use by those with physical access to the monitor and keyboard. Requirements for the system are described, some design issues are discussed, and a sketch of a design for an initial prototype is provided, together with an assurance argument for it. A prototype implementing many of the concepts described has been built; two dozen copies of a second prototype are soon to be installed in an office environment.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1997
Accession Number
ADA465472

Entities

People

  • Carl E. Landwehr

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Command And Control
  • Command And Control Systems
  • Command Centers
  • Computers
  • Computing Devices
  • Control Systems
  • Cybersecurity
  • Detectors
  • Frequency
  • Identification
  • Identification Systems
  • Mobile Phones
  • Radio Transmitters
  • Security
  • Signal Lights
  • Time Intervals
  • Transmitters

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Computer Science/Computer Engineering/Data Science/Digital Signal Processing.
  • Cybersecurity.
  • Educational Psychology