Petname

Petname systems are naming systems that claim to possess all three naming properties of Zooko's triangle - global, secure, and memorable.[1] Software that uses such a system can satisfy all three requirements. Such systems can be used to enhance security, such as preventing phishing attacks.[2] Unlike traditional identity systems which focus on the service provider, Petname systems are decentralized and designed to facilitate the needs of the enduser as they interact with multiple services.[3][4]

This article is about the security-enhancing software naming systems. For the shorter or diminutive form of a word or given name, see Hypocorism. For names of pet animals, see Personal name § Non-human personal names.

History

Though the Petname model was formally described in 2005 by Mark Stiegler, the potential of the system was discovered by several people successively.[3]

Examples

CapDesk – a desktop environment.[5]

Firefox extension
Firefox Petname Tool
Developer(s)Tyler Close
Stable release
1.7 / July 14, 2009
Operating systemCross-platform
TypeMozilla extension
LicenseMIT/X11
Websitehttps://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/petname-tool/

There was a Petname Tool extension available for Firefox that allowed petnames to be assigned to secure websites. Use of this extension could help prevent phishing attacks.[6]

PetName Markup Language

The PetName Markup Language (PNML) is a proposal for embedding Petname information into other systems using a custom markup language.[4]

PNML consists of two tags:

  • <pn>pet-name-string</pn>
  • <key>stringified-cryptographic-key</key>

References
  1. "An Introduction to Petname Systems".
  2. Sadek Ferdous; Audun Jøsang; Kuldeep Singh; Ravishankar Borgaonkar (2009). Security Usability of Petname Systems. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer Science+Business Media. ISBN 9783642047657.
  3. Audun Jøsang; Torleiv Maseng; Svein J. Knapskog (29 September 2009). Identity and Privacy in the Internet Age: 14th Nordic Conference on Secure IT Systems, NordSec 2009, Oslo, Norway, 14-16 October 2009, Proceedings. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-3-642-04765-7.
  4. "The PetName Markup Language".
  5. http://www.combex.com/tech/edesk.html
  6. Markus Jakobsson; Steven Myers (2006). Phishing and Countermeasures: Understanding the Increasing Problem of Electronic Identity Theft. Wiley-Interscience. ISBN 0471782459.


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