COMPSAC Panel Session on Trustworthy Computing

We, as individuals, as well as governments, corporations, and institutions, form a networked society and we are increasingly dependent on that network. The very fabric of our everyday life and business utilizes this networked connectivity, particularly critical infrastructures such as the electric power grid, oil and gas pipeline and distribution systems, telecommunications, transportation, and water treatment systems. All of these applications, and many more, are relied upon daily and need to be "trustworthy." By trustworthiness, we mean many qualities which include, but are not limited to, availability, assurance of information delivered, reliability, security, survivability, recoverability, confidentiality, integrity and other "ilities." Basically, when you pick up the phone, you expect to hear a dial tone; when you turn on a light switch, you expect the light to turn on; and when you send an e-mail, you expect it to reach its intended recipient with message intact and without others reading it en route. Since all of our critical infrastructures are themselves network-centric systems, this trustworthiness is both difficult to achieve and critical to maintain. One panel session cannot begin to capture all of the aspects of trustworthy computing; however, this panel is composed of experts who will explore many of the fundamental aspects of this increasingly important topic, particularly focused on critical research needs.