This article is about the security-enhancing software naming systems. For the shorter or diminutive form of a word or given name, see Hypocorism. For names of pet animals, see Personal name § Non-human personal names.
Petname systems are naming systems that claim to possess all three naming properties of Zooko's triangle - global, secure, and memorable.[1] Software that uses such a system can satisfy all three requirements. Such systems can be used to enhance security, such as preventing phishing attacks.[2]
Unlike traditional identity systems, which focus on the service provider, Petname systems are decentralized and designed to facilitate the needs of the enduser as they interact with multiple services.[3][4]
History
Though the Petname model was formally described in 2005 by Mark Stiegler, the potential of the system was discovered by several people successively.[3]
Petname Tool (discontinued browser extension) – There was a browser extension available for Firefox called Petname Tool that allowed pet names to be assigned to secure websites. Use of this extension could help prevent phishing attacks.[7]
PetName Markup Language
The PetName Markup Language (PNML) is a proposal for embedding Petname information into other systems using a custom markup language.[4]
^Schanzenbach, Martin; Grothoff, Christian; B., Fix (2022-02-03). "The GNU Name System". GNUnet. IETF. Retrieved 2022-02-04. The design of GNS incorporates the capability to integrate and coexist with DNS. GNS is based on the principle of a petname system and builds on ideas from the Simple Distributed Security Infrastructure [SDSI].