Research Article
DISCERN: A collaborative visualization system for learning cryptographic protocols
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.4108/ICST.COLLABORATECOM2009.8360 , author={Giuseppe Cattaneo and Alfredo De Santis and Umberto Ferraro Petrillo}, title={DISCERN: A collaborative visualization system for learning cryptographic protocols}, proceedings={5th International ICST Conference on Collaborative Computing: Networking, Applications, Worksharing}, proceedings_a={COLLABORATECOM}, year={2009}, month={12}, keywords={Application software Collaboration Computerized monitoring Condition monitoring Control systems Cryptographic protocols History Mechanical factors Scalability Visualization}, doi={10.4108/ICST.COLLABORATECOM2009.8360 } }- Giuseppe Cattaneo
Alfredo De Santis
Umberto Ferraro Petrillo
Year: 2009
DISCERN: A collaborative visualization system for learning cryptographic protocols
COLLABORATECOM
ICST
DOI: 10.4108/ICST.COLLABORATECOM2009.8360
Abstract
In this paper we propose a novel approach to the learning of cryptographic protocols, based on a collaborative role-based visualization system, DISCERN, that helps students to understand a protocol by actively engaging them in a simulation of its execution. In DISCERN, each student shares a visual exemplification of a real-world scenario with other students and impersonates one of the parties involved in the execution of a protocol. Students may take the role of legal or malicious parties and are provided with primitives that are useful for the implementation of several protocols. To achieve a certain security goal correctly, legal parties have to collaborate and carefully execute the steps required by the implemented protocol in the correct order. If any error is made, the security of the protocol is exposed to the threats coming from other students impersonating malicious parties. The entire process is run under the supervision of the teacher.
