Mercer Times

For several years, a vulnerability in the internet's encryption system posed a significant threat to global security. Researchers from Princeton University have collaborated with industry leaders to address this issue, resulting in a new universal security standard. This standard was adopted by international organizations in August and implemented last month.

The problem involved the way web browsers and operating systems verify website identities through certification authorities, which issue digital certificates based on domain control. The Princeton team, led by Professors Prateek Mittal and Jennifer Rexford, discovered that malicious actors could easily obtain fraudulent certificates for websites they did not control. This allowed them to create fake sites indistinguishable from legitimate ones, posing severe risks.

Ryan Dickson and Chris Clements from Google Chrome highlighted the potential dangers of such fraud. "Imagine somehow a bad actor getting between you and your news site," Dickson said, warning of catastrophic societal harm if such vulnerabilities were exploited.

To combat this threat, certification authorities have now agreed to verify websites from multiple vantage points rather than just one. This solution was first identified in 2017 by Henry Birge-Lee during his undergraduate studies at Princeton. His work caught the attention of Josh Aas, CEO of Let's Encrypt, who quickly partnered with the Princeton team to implement their findings.

Princeton's collaboration with Let's Encrypt proved pivotal in demonstrating the feasibility and affordability of their solution at scale. As Mittal noted, this partnership played a crucial role in persuading the broader cybersecurity community to adopt their approach.

The new standard had to be approved by the Certification Authority/Browser Forum, comprising major tech companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, and numerous certification authorities. The process involved extensive revisions but ultimately resulted in unanimous agreement among voting members.

Mittal emphasized the importance of perseverance in translating academic research into real-world impact: "We had to do the missionary work," he said.

By December 2022, the team expanded to include additional researchers like Ph.D. student Grace Cimaszewski and others who demonstrated their attack method live before experts worldwide. Their demonstration underscored the urgency of addressing this vulnerability.

Ryan Dickson recalled leaving these discussions with a strong sense of urgency: "I remember walking away with this real sense of urgency." With continued collaboration between Princeton researchers and industry experts like Dickson and Clements from Google Chrome, they successfully advocated for changes that strengthen internet security globally.

At no point did anyone question the reality or likelihood of these vulnerabilities being exploited thanks largely to Birge-Lee's impactful demonstrations showing how easily it could happen.