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Mobility, Ubiquity and Security

Enabling proof-carrying code for Java on mobile devices

Mobius is a European Integrated Project developing novel technologies for trustworthy global computing, using proof-carrying code to give users independent guarantees of the safety and security of Java applications for their mobile phones and PDAs.

Global computing means that applications today may run anywhere, with data and code moving freely between servers, PCs and other devices: this kind of mobility over the ubiquitous internet magnifies the challenge of making sure that such software runs safely and reliably. In this context, the Mobius project focuses on securing applications downloaded to the Java MIDP platform: globally deployed across a host of phones, this is the common runtime environment for a myriad mobile applications.

Techniques of static analysis make it possible to check program behaviour by analysing source code before it ever executes. But mobile code means that this assurance must somehow travel with the application to reach the user. Conventional digital signatures use cryptography to identify who supplied a program; the breakthrough of proof-carrying code is to give mathematical proofs that guarantee the security of the code itself. We can strengthen digital signatures with digital evidence.

Key features of the Mobius security architecture are:

  • Innovative trust management, with digital evidence of program behaviour that can be independently checked by users or any third party.

  • Static enforcement, checking code before it starts; adaptable to manage a range of user security concerns, and configurable to match the real-world mix of mobile platforms.

  • Modularity, allowing developers to build up trusted applications from trusted components.

demo on youtube

mail.gif To contact us: Gilles Barthe Scientific Coordinator   






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Mobius is an Integrated Project launched under the FET Global Computing Proactive Initiative. The Mobius project is supported by te European Commission through the 6th Framework program. The project started on 1st September 2005 and lasts for 48 months.