| Ubiquitous computing is poised to have a profound effect on how humans interact with machines, physical spaces, services, everyday devices, and other humans. Ubiquitous computing envisions a world that features an abundance of embedded processors, wearable computers, smart consumer devices, sensors, and digital communication, which are all tightly coupled to form an "Active Space." Active spaces enhance education, distance learning, remote collaboration, resource sharing, group activities, and scientific studies. The shift to the ubiquitous computing paradigm brings forth new challenges to security and privacy, which cannot be addressed by mere adaptation of existing security and privacy mechanisms. Instead, novel security mechanisms must be devised. In this work, I identify the challenges and requirements of security in ubiquitous computing environments. I present the design, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive framework that enriches Active Spaces with novel security mechanisms and enable cornerstone security services, including identification, authentication, authorization and privacy. The presented framework is a novel solution that provides fundamentally new possibilities in providing secure and privacy-preserving ubiquitous computing environments, without impairing the value-added services and customizability that make ubiquitous computing environments unique and powerful. |
