Security for distributed applications

The advent of low-cost computing platforms has led to a re-evaluation of the way in which computing services are delivered to end users. The centralised computer with all its carefully managed security controls no longer reigns supreme. Instead, applications and their data are increasingly distributed across a multiplicity of platforms involving a mixture of vendors and operating systems. This has led to a re-evaluation of the way that security needs to be applied and, in particular, to the greater use of cryptography. This paper explores the issues raised when securing applications in this way and considers the impact of the new generation of distributed architectures such as DCE (Distributed Computing Environment).