Transcript Trusted Ring: A Security Enhancing Software Architecture Michael DiRossi, Inventor The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Technology Problem Space • Windows and Linux computers.

Trusted Ring: A Security
Enhancing Software Architecture
Michael DiRossi, Inventor
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Technology Problem Space
• Windows and Linux computers can not be trusted
for high assurance applications because they are
too complex to secure or verify
– Monolithic kernel design
– Bug in mouse driver compromises entire system
– OS can not protect itself
• Users want to use these systems
• Can a high assurance computing environment be
built with low assurance components?
Technology – Trusted Ring Framework
• Security enhancing
software architecture that
– is independent of OS
– supports security service
modules
– provides a high assurance
base from which to assert
that desired security
properties hold true
– is based on hardware
protection mechanisms
Linux OS
Trusted Ring
Framework
Ring 3
User Applications
User Applications
Ring 2
Unused
Operating System
Kernel
Ring 1
Unused
Security
Services
Ring 0
Operating System
Kernel
Trusted Ring
Microkernel
Technology – Security Service Modules
• Security Services enhance the security of
the operating system
• Operate in an execution domain that is
independent of and isolated from the
operating system
• Examples:
– Platform self-healing capability
– Protected encryption engine for online banking
Technology Applications
• Information Assurance
– Security policy can be enforced despite compromises to
the integrity of the operating system
• General purpose high assurance computing
platforms
• Complimentary to virtualization technologies
– Enhance security from within a VM
– Enhance security of VMM
Commercial Applications
• Any Intel IA-32 computer application with IA requirements
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–
–
–
Banking
SCADA
Government
Electronic Voting
• Technology Readiness
– Proof-of-concept Trusted Ring Framework implementation for
a Fedora Core 1 Linux operating system
– Basic self-healing security service implementation
Contact Information
•
For technical information contact:
Michael DiRossi, Inventor
443-778-1349
[email protected]
•
For licensing information contact:
Norma Lee Todd, Technology Manager
Office of Technology Transfer
The Johns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory
11100 Johns Hopkins Road
Laurel, MD 20723
443-778-4528
[email protected]
www.jhuapl.edu/ott