Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
Tech

New web privacy system, the key to safe browsing

Darpan News Desk Darpan, 06 Oct, 2014 05:37 AM
    Researchers have built a new system that protects internet users' privacy while increasing the flexibility for web developers to build web applications that combine data from different web sites, dramatically improving the safety of surfing the web.
     
    The system called "Confinement with Origin Web Labels" (COWL) works with Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome web browsers and prevents malicious codes in websites from leaking sensitive information to unauthorised parties.
     
    Currently, web users' privacy can be compromised by a malicious JavaScript code hidden in seemingly legitimate websites.
     
    The website's operator may have incorporated a code obtained elsewhere into his or her website without realising that the code contains bugs or is malicious.
     
    "Such codes can access sensitive data within the same or other browser tabs, allowing unauthorised parties to obtain or modify data without the user's knowledge," explained study co-author professor Brad Karp from the University College London.
     
    "COWL achieves both privacy for the user and flexibility for the web application developer. Achieving both these aims, which are often in opposition in many system designs, is one of the central challenges in computer systems security research," Karp maintained.
     
    Free to download, COWL lets web developers build feature-rich applications that combine data from different websites not requiring users to share their login details directly with third-party web applications.
     
    "This ensures that the user's sensitive data seen by such an application does not leave the browser. Both web developers and users win," added Deian Stefan, PhD student at Stanford University.
     
    The team included researchers from University College London, Stanford Engineering, Google, Chalmers and Mozilla Research.
     
    The team described the system in a paper that is scheduled to be shared this month at the "Proceedings of the 11th USENIX Symposium on Operating Systems Design and Implementation", a premier venue for operating systems research.

    MORE Tech ARTICLES

    And now diamonds to power laser!

    And now diamonds to power laser!
    Diamonds are not just a woman's best friend, they also have some awesome heat-handling capability - making it an ideal material to improve the quality of high-powered laser beams.

    And now diamonds to power laser!

    Latest in Tech: Fold this smart phone like a map!

    Latest in Tech: Fold this smart phone like a map!
    Named “multi-display shape-changing smartphone”, the 'PaperFold' mobile device uses three flexible electrophoretic (e-ink) display sheets that users can fold into various configurations.  

    Latest in Tech: Fold this smart phone like a map!

    PayPal's Indian-American executive says he quit before Twitter tirade

    PayPal's Indian-American executive says he quit before Twitter tirade
    Rakesh "Rocky" Agrawal, PayPal's Indian-American strategy executive claims he had resigned from the payments giant before he unleashed a late-night Twitter rant against a couple of co-workers Friday.

    PayPal's Indian-American executive says he quit before Twitter tirade

    Microchip that would make your PC work like human brain!

    Microchip that would make your PC work like human brain!
    Distressed at the slow speed of your personal computer? Here comes a microchip that would give your PC a speed that is 9,000 faster than an average one.

    Microchip that would make your PC work like human brain!

    Brew a perfect tea with this technology

    Brew a perfect tea with this technology
    This tea machine brews a perfect cup of tea every time you go for it. But there ain't free tea, isn't it?

    Brew a perfect tea with this technology

    Humble headphone to monitor pulse, BP?

    Humble headphone to monitor pulse, BP?
    Move over smart phones if you are interested in fitness trackers on the go. Here come headphones that can monitor your heart rate and blood pressure.

    Humble headphone to monitor pulse, BP?