Trust zones: A path to a more secure internet infrastructure

Abstract

This article describes a data-driven approach to improve the security of the Internet infrastructure. We identify the key vulnerabilities, and describe why the barriers to progress are not just technical, but embedded in a complex space of misaligned incentive, negative externalities, lack of agreement as to priority and approach, and missing leadership. We describe current trends in how applications are designed on the Internet, which leads to increasing localization of the Internet experience. Exploiting this trend, we focus on regional security rather than unachievable global security, and introduce a concept we call zones of trust.