The term 'principal' has roots both in computer security and in communications security. We will show that in those two areas principals serve quite different purposes. We also note that the term principal is overloaded in computer security and propose a separation into three different aspects: origin of message, access control rule, and accountable entity. Furthermore, we will defend the merits of extensional security specifications and show that it is not fruitful to expect that security mechanisms can only have one 'correct' interpretation.
['Dieter Gollmann']
Mergers and Principals