The safe way to use one Internet password
February 25, 2010
(PhysOrg.com) -- A little-used Internet authentication system from the 1980s could provide the answer for enabling web users to securely log in only once per Internet session, a Queensland University of Technology researcher has found.
PhD researcher Suriadi, from QUT's Information Security Institute, said a secure single-sign on system was more than simply using the same password for multiple accounts.
Mr Suriadi said any future single-sign on systems, which could potentially give web users access to a multitude of accounts, including email, bank and shopping, would require extreme privacy to avoid information spies and account hackers.
"Single-sign on systems are already being used by organisations," he said.
"For example, a bank could link their Internet banking site to an online trading site, thus relieving users from having to perform an extra log in step.
"However, if one of the parties is compromised, for example by a virus, a 'denial of service' attack or insecure set-up, it puts all the user's linked accounts at risk."
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Mr Suriadi said his research investigated a little-used "anonymous credential system" which dates back to the 1980s, but recently received renewed interest from the research community.
"Using this credential system, we could enhance the security and privacy of a single sign-on system," he said.
"The system works by revealing as little information about who you are as necessary for logging into an account, therefore allowing you to remain anonymous.
"This way, a company wouldn't be able to track your shopping habits and target spam or marketing at you. This method could also confirm you are over 18 and not reveal your birthday."
Mr Suriadi said a single sign-on system backed by the anonymous credential system required the cooperation of businesses and organisations to enable it.
"One use of this could be for the research community, with online libraries and databases applying the anonymous credential system so that the privacy of researchers can be preserved," he said.
"This would be useful for people researching sensitive issues."
Mr Suriadi said for the purposes of accountability, such a system would also allow authorities to revoke users' anonymity in cases of illegal activity.
More information: Suriadi, S., Foo, E., and Jøsang, A. 2009. A user-centric federated single sign-on system. J. Netw. Comput. Appl. 32, 2 (Mar. 2009), 388-401. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jnca.2008.02.016
- wong chee tat :)
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Watching curvaceous women feels like drugs to men: study
Watching curvaceous women feels like drugs to men: study
February 25, 2010 by Lin Edwards hourglass
(PhysOrg.com) -- It has long been known that men find an "hourglass" figure the most attractive shape for the female body, and now scientists have found out why.
Research across a variety of cultures has demonstrated that men typically find the curvaceous female form sexually attractive. Other studies have shown that wide hips in women are associated with health and reproductive potential, so the attraction makes evolutionary sense.
Scientists from Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, Georgia, studied the responses of 14 men with an average age of 25 to nude photographs of women before and after undergoing cosmetic surgery that redistributed fat from their waists to the buttocks to give them more of an hourglass figure. The operations did not reduce the weight of the women, but gave them an “optimal” Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR) of about 0.7.
The fMRI brain scans of the male subjects showed the post-surgery pictures activated the same regions of the brain that are activated by rewards, alcohol and drugs. Changes to women’s body mass index (BMI) did not affect the reward centers, but instead activated brain areas associated with the visual recognition of shape and size. This suggests judgments of female attractiveness based on body fat are based on society expectations rather than being hard-wired in the brain.
Steven Platek, an evolutionary cognitive neuroscientist, said the research may help explain why some men are addicted to pornography, and may also shed some light on other disorders “such as erectile dysfunction in the absence of pornography,” and add to our study of sexual infidelity. It also helps explain phenomena such as sexual harassment and whistling at curvaceous girls in the street. Platek said the BMI results suggest the female form projected by the media, of skinny waif-like models, is not the most attractive to men, and curves are worth their reproductive weight in gold.
The research paper, by Platek and Devendra Singh, presents the first description of the effect of WHR on men’s brains. It was published online in PLoS One on February 5.
More information: http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0009042
© 2010 PhysOrg.com
February 25, 2010 by Lin Edwards hourglass
(PhysOrg.com) -- It has long been known that men find an "hourglass" figure the most attractive shape for the female body, and now scientists have found out why.
Research across a variety of cultures has demonstrated that men typically find the curvaceous female form sexually attractive. Other studies have shown that wide hips in women are associated with health and reproductive potential, so the attraction makes evolutionary sense.
Scientists from Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, Georgia, studied the responses of 14 men with an average age of 25 to nude photographs of women before and after undergoing cosmetic surgery that redistributed fat from their waists to the buttocks to give them more of an hourglass figure. The operations did not reduce the weight of the women, but gave them an “optimal” Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR) of about 0.7.
The fMRI brain scans of the male subjects showed the post-surgery pictures activated the same regions of the brain that are activated by rewards, alcohol and drugs. Changes to women’s body mass index (BMI) did not affect the reward centers, but instead activated brain areas associated with the visual recognition of shape and size. This suggests judgments of female attractiveness based on body fat are based on society expectations rather than being hard-wired in the brain.
Steven Platek, an evolutionary cognitive neuroscientist, said the research may help explain why some men are addicted to pornography, and may also shed some light on other disorders “such as erectile dysfunction in the absence of pornography,” and add to our study of sexual infidelity. It also helps explain phenomena such as sexual harassment and whistling at curvaceous girls in the street. Platek said the BMI results suggest the female form projected by the media, of skinny waif-like models, is not the most attractive to men, and curves are worth their reproductive weight in gold.
The research paper, by Platek and Devendra Singh, presents the first description of the effect of WHR on men’s brains. It was published online in PLoS One on February 5.
More information: http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0009042
© 2010 PhysOrg.com
Submarine cable operator Pacnet to build 13 data centers across Asia
Submarine cable operator Pacnet to build 13 data centers across Asia
In run-up to expected IPO, network provider plans to convert landing stations to data centers (2/23/2010)
In run-up to expected IPO, network provider plans to convert landing stations to data centers (2/23/2010)
 | |
Network operator Pacnet announced on Tuesday an ambitious plan,
whereby the company will step into the data center provider market,
converting the landing facilities of its submarine cable network in Asia
into data centers.
Pacnet CEO
Bill Barney told Reuters that the company would invest about
$300 million over the next three years, building 10 smaller data centers
and three large ones throughout Asia. According to the news service,
the move is part of the company’s diversification process as it prepares
for an IPO.
“Over the
past few years, we have seen exponential growth in the demand for data
center hosting services and customized applications,” Barney said in a
prepared statement. “Pacnet's cable landing facilities across
Asia are
equipped with massive power, space and capacity, therefore, it is a
natural step for us to move forward in building DLS (data landing
station) facilities to support immediate demands in the marketplace.”
In the
project’s initial phase, Pacnet is planning to launch three data centers
by the end of 2010, with additional sites coming online in 2011.
Locations and details for phase one were not disclosed on Tuesday.
Pacnet
currently operates landing facilities for its submarine fiber lines in Hong Kong, China, Singapore,
Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the
Philippines.
While
building the smaller facilities by itself, Pacnet is planning to partner
with other, at this point unnamed companies on the three larger core
data centers, each expected to cost $250 million or more.
Barney told Dow Jones Newswires that Pacnet was aiming to
raise $500 million through its IPO.
- wong chee tat :) |
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