Communications of the ACM
Sick PCs Should Be Banned From the Net Says Microsoft
Credit: TEKSynergy
Microsoft researcher Scott Charney recently presented an Internet security proposal that requires users to present a digital certificate to prove that their computers have all of their software patches and are using a firewall that has been installed and configured correctly. Charney's "health certificate" also would verify that the machine is using up-to-date virus software and is not infected with malware. If the health certificate indicates that the computer has a problem, the user could be instructed to take remedial steps such as downloading a missing patch or updating virus software.
More serious problems, such as a machine sending out malicious packets, could require the Internet user's bandwidth to be reduced. "We need to improve and maintain the health of consumer devices connected to the Internet in order to avoid greater societal risk," Charney says.
Sophos' Graham Cluely warns that the approach could create several problems, including preventing Internet users with insecure computers from downloading fixes. However, Internet security initiatives already exist in Japan, France, and Australia.
From BBC News
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