Drop‐in security for distributed and portable computing elements

Proposes the use of a special purpose drop‐in firewall/VPN gateway called Sieve, that can be inserted between the mobile workstation and the network to provide individualized security services for that particular station. Sieve is meant to be used like an external modem: the user only needs to plug it in. Its existence is transparent to the user, requiring no modification to the workstation configuration. To function in this role, Sieve has been designed to be compact, low‐cost, requiring little administration or maintenance. Discusses the features and advantages of the system and demonstrates how Sieve was used in various application areas (home, university environment, etc.).