Developing a Super Identity model to target cyber security threats

The ability to identify one another is paramount. In today’s society, interactions between people aren’t limited to the real world. The proliferation of these activities in the cyber world has made the concept of identity, and the process of identification, more challenging than ever before.

Dr Danaë Stanton Fraser, from the Department of Psychology, is an expert in human computer interaction and is working with a multidisciplinary international team to look at the complex nature of identity, both in the real world and online.

The project aims to create a complex model for identifying people accurately online, and to tackle the issues associated with unreliable and counterfeit identification - providing a faster and more efficient way of combatting the problem.

By triangulating physical attributes with existing biometric measures and newly developed understandings of cyber activity, our researchers aim to confidently identify individuals online.

Through the project, the team will establish an understanding of the feasibility of Super Identification and will develop prototype models which will be tested with data analysts. They will also be involved in the design of innovative interfaces for intelligence agencies in the US and the UK.

The research also involves the expertise of psychologists to ensure the social acceptability of Super Identification measures.

Security research at Bath

Security is the process by which smooth running and communications are maintained at all levels during any given situation.

A number of research groups at Bath work closely with industry partners and government bodies to enhance and improve systems in many different aspects of security.