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Petname

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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]

History

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

Examples

CapDesk — a desktop environment.

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 is a Petname Tool extension available for Firefox that allows petnames to be assigned to secure websites.[5] Use of this extension can help prevent phishing attacks.[6] [7]

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.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "The PetName Markup Language".
  5. ^ Petname Tool extension
  6. ^ Markus Jakobsson, Steven Myers (2006). Phishing and Countermeasures: Understanding the Increasing Problem of Electronic Identity Theft. Wiley-Interscience. ISBN 0471782459.
  7. ^ "Ten Firefox extensions to keep your browsing private and secure".