Technical Report / ETH Zurich, Department of Computer Science, 571

Technical Report / ETH Zurich, Department of Computer Science, 595

Distance bounding protocols are typically analyzed with respect to three types of attacks: Distance Fraud, Mafia Fraud, and Terrorist Fraud. We define a fourth main type of attacks on distance bounding protocols, called Distance Hijacking attacks. We show that many proposed distance bounding protocols are vulnerable to these attacks, and we propose solutions to make these protocols resilient to Distance Hijacking. Additionally, we generalize Distance Hijacking to Location Hijacking, to which location verification protocols may...

Technical Report / ETH Zurich, Department of Computer Science, 610

In this work, we study the security of public WLAN-based positioning systems. Specifically, we investigate the Skyhook positioning system [41], available on PCs and used on a number of mobile platforms, including Apple’s iPod touch and iPhone [1]. We demonstrate that this system is vulnerable to location spoofing and location database manipulation attacks. We further discuss approaches for securing Skyhook and similar WLAN-based positioning systems.

We consider the problem of discovering properties (such as the diameter) of an unknown network G(V,E) with a minimum number of queries. Initially, only the vertex set V of the network is known. Information about the edges and non-edges of the network can be obtained by querying nodes of the network. A query at a node q ∈ V returns the union of all shortest paths from q to all other nodes in V ....

We consider the beta-metric traveling salesman problem (Delta-beta-TSP), i.e., the TSP restricted to input instances satisfying the beta-triangle inequality c({v,w}) <= beta * (c{v,u} + c{u,w}), for any three vertices u,v,w. The well-known path matching Christofides algorithm (PMCA) provides an approximation ratio of 3/2 * beta^2 and is the best known algorithm in the range 1 <= beta <= 2. We show that this upper bound is tight by providing a worst-case example. This example...

In their 2008 Swiss Computer Science Challenge Award competition, the Hasler Foundation asks applicants to identify current grand challenges in computer science. In this current submission, we discuss how novel hybrid, heterogeneous high performance computing architectures as exemplified by IBM’s Roadrunner pose enormous usability and productivity problems to programmers and users. We argue that addressing these difficulties is important as this kind of architectures will become more popular not only in high-end supercomputing but also...

Technical report, 652

Technical Report / ETH Zurich, Department of Computer Science, 629

Technical Report / ETH Zurich, Department of Computer Science, 576

With the design of the Token-Ring for the TRM (Tiny Register Machine) I pursued mainly two aims. The first is to design a network connecting several TRM cores. The second is to go for a design that is as simple as possible, considering that the TRM project is oriented towards educational hard- and software. Featuring a ring architecture, it provides a welcome alternative to the already existing bus architecture implemented by Ling Liu, allowing to...

Technical Report / ETH Zurich, Department of Computer Science, 594

An den meisten Gymnasien erhalten die Schülerinnen und Schüler zu Beginn ihrer Ausbildung eine Einführung im Umgang mit Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien (ICT). Diese sind meist auf Initiative der Schulen entstanden, weil der in den 80er Jahren propagierte integrative Ansatz (bei dem Informatikanwendungen in andere Fächer integriert wurden) gescheitert ist und das Fach Informatik sich aus historischen Gründen davor distanziert. Noch sind wenig effektive didaktische Szenarien für einen solchen ICT-Grundlagenunterricht bekannt. Reine Anwenderschulungen führen nicht zu...

We present a novel framework for the multimodal display of words using topological, appearance, and auditory representations. The methods are designed for effective language training and serve as a learning aid for individuals with dyslexia. Our topological code decomposes the word into its syllables and displays it graphically as a tree structure. The appearance code assigns color attributes and shape primitives to each letter and takes into account conditional symbol probabilities, code ambiguities, and phonologically...

Technical report / [ETH, Department of Computer Science, 626

ParFE is a fully-parallel micro nite element (FE) solver for the modeling of human bone microstructures. We have developed an interface that will make available ParFE on the High Performance Computing (HPC) facility at the Swiss National Supercomputer Centre (CSCS) to a dedicated group of people. The interface has the form of a portal that can be accessed through a web browser. The portal provides a simple and secure means to submit and manage ParFE...