Joanna Rutkowska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joanna Rutkowska
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Joanna Rutkowska in May 2018
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| Born | 1981 (age 43–44) Warsaw
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| Nationality | Polish |
| Education | Warsaw University of Technology; Master's Degree in Computer Science |
| Occupation | Security researcher; CEO/Founder of Invisible Things Labs |
| Employer | Invisible Things Labs |
| Known for | Blue Pill, Evil Maid attack, Qubes OS |
Joanna Rutkowska was born in 1981 in Warsaw, Poland. She is a computer security expert. She is well-known for her work on how computers work at a very basic level and for creating Qubes OS. This is a special computer operating system designed to be very secure.
Contents
Joanna Rutkowska's Career in Computer Security
Joanna Rutkowska became famous in the computer security world in August 2006. This happened at a big conference called Black Hat Briefings in Las Vegas. There, she showed a new way to attack the core part of the Windows Vista operating system.
The "Blue Pill" Technique
At the same conference, she also introduced a method called "Blue Pill." This technique used a special computer feature called virtualization. It could move a running operating system into a virtual machine. Think of it like putting a whole computer inside another computer. This made it hard to detect if something sneaky was happening. Because of this research, eWeek Magazine named her one of "Five Hackers who Put a Mark on 2006."
Focus on Low-Level Security
After 2006, Rutkowska kept focusing on low-level computer security. This means looking at how the very basic parts of a computer system work.
- In 2007, she showed that some ways of copying computer memory (like using FireWire) were not always safe. They could be tricked.
- Later in 2007, she and her team member Alexander Tereshkin shared more research on malware that uses virtualization.
- In 2008, Rutkowska and her team studied the security of the Xen hypervisor. A hypervisor is software that creates and runs virtual machines.
- In 2009, with Rafal Wojtczuk, she found a way to attack Intel's security technologies.
Invisible Things Lab and the "Evil Maid Attack"
In April 2007, Joanna Rutkowska started her own company called Invisible Things Lab. It is located in Warsaw, Poland. This company works on making operating systems and virtual machine monitors more secure. They also offer advice to other companies.
In 2009, she came up with the idea of an "evil maid attack." This is a clever way for someone to get to encrypted data on a computer. It involves changing the computer's basic software (firmware) using a USB drive. This could happen if someone leaves their laptop alone, like in a hotel room.
Creating Qubes OS
In 2010, Joanna Rutkowska and Rafal Wojtczuk started working on Qubes OS. This is a special desktop operating system built for security. It uses Fedora Linux and the Xen virtualization technology.
- The first version of Qubes OS was released on September 3, 2012.
- Its main idea is "security by compartmentalization." This means it separates different parts of your computer work into small, isolated sections.
- Each section is called a "Qube." Each Qube acts like its own separate virtual machine.
- This design helps keep different tasks safe from each other. For example, if you open a risky email in one Qube, it won't affect your banking in another Qube.
- Qubes OS calls itself "a reasonably secure operating system." Many experts in privacy and security have praised it. It is unique because it uses research on known weaknesses in computer systems to make itself very strong.
Presentations and Publications
Joanna Rutkowska has written important papers about how to trust computer systems. She has also been invited to speak at many major security conferences. These include Chaos Communication Congress, Black Hat Briefings, and RSA Conference. She shares her knowledge and discoveries with other security experts around the world.
See also
In Spanish: Joanna Rutkowska para niños
