Java and Internet security

Antti Viljamaa, and Jukka Viljamaa: Java and Internet security. Report C-1998-45, Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki, May 1998. 30 pages. <http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/TR/C-1998/45>

Full paper: gzip'ed Postscript file
Metadata: XML file

Abstract

The Java programming language has significantly eased the development of Internet applications and networking software in general. At the same time it has also raised concerns about the already weak security procedures on the Internet. In this report we describe the main prevention mechanisms against the data communication threats and examine the Java security architecture and how it is prepared for possible security holes. We also describe Java's support for writing secure network applications that use cryptography mechanisms.

This report is a product of the FRED project (FRamework EDitor for Java) ongoing at the universities of Helsinki and Tampere. The main goal of the project is to enhance the construction of reusable object-oriented software by improving the tools and technology supporting frameworks and design patterns. Java has been selected as the implementation language for the tools and applications going to be developed, because of its object-oriented nature, platform neutrality, and the overall research interest towards it.

Index Terms

Categories and Subject Descriptors:
D.3, D.4.6, E.3

General Terms:

Additional Key Words and Phrases: Java, Security, Cryptography, Software Development