A prototype security hardened field device for SCADA systems.

This thesis describes the development of a prototype security hardened field device (such as a remote terminal unit) based on commodity hardware and implementing a previously developed security architecture. This security architecture has not been implemented in the past due to the difficulty of providing an operating system which meets the architecture\u27s isolation requirements. Recent developments in both hardware and software have made such an operating system possible, opening the door to the implementation and development of this new security architecture in physical devices attached to supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems. A prototype is developed using commodity hardware selected for similarity to existing industrial systems and making use of the new OKL4 operating system. Results of prototype development are promising, showing performance values which are adequate for a broad range for industrial applications

Mecanismos dinâmicos de segurança para redes softwarizadas e virtualizadas

The relationship between attackers and defenders has traditionally been asymmetric, with attackers having time as an upper hand to devise an exploit that compromises the defender. The push towards the Cloudification of the world makes matters more challenging, as it lowers the cost of an attack, with a de facto standardization on a set of protocols. The discovery of a vulnerability now has a broader impact on various verticals (business use cases), while previously, some were in a segregated protocol stack requiring independent vulnerability research. Furthermore, defining a perimeter within a cloudified system is non-trivial, whereas before, the dedicated equipment already created a perimeter. This proposal takes the newer technologies of network softwarization and virtualization, both Cloud-enablers, to create new dynamic security mechanisms that address this asymmetric relationship using novel Moving Target Defense (MTD) approaches. The effective use of the exploration space, combined with the reconfiguration capabilities of frameworks like Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Management and Orchestration (MANO), should allow for adjusting defense levels dynamically to achieve the required security as defined by the currently acceptable risk. The optimization tasks and integration tasks of this thesis explore these concepts. Furthermore, the proposed novel mechanisms were evaluated in real-world use cases, such as 5G networks or other Network Slicing enabled infrastructures.A relação entre atacantes e defensores tem sido tradicionalmente assimétrica, com os atacantes a terem o tempo como vantagem para conceberem uma exploração que comprometa o defensor. O impulso para a Cloudificação do mundo torna a situação mais desafiante, pois reduz o custo de um ataque, com uma padronização de facto sobre um conjunto de protocolos. A descoberta de uma vulnerabilidade tem agora um impacto mais amplo em várias verticais (casos de uso empresarial), enquanto anteriormente, alguns estavam numa pilha de protocolos segregados que exigiam uma investigação independente das suas vulnerabilidades. Além disso, a definição de um perímetro dentro de um sistema Cloud não é trivial, enquanto antes, o equipamento dedicado já criava um perímetro. Esta proposta toma as mais recentes tecnologias de softwarização e virtualização da rede, ambas facilitadoras da Cloud, para criar novos mecanismos dinâmicos de segurança que incidem sobre esta relação assimétrica utilizando novas abordagens de Moving Target Defense (MTD). A utilização eficaz do espaço de exploração, combinada com as capacidades de reconfiguração de frameworks como Network Function Virtualization (NFV) e Management and Orchestration (MANO), deverá permitir ajustar dinamicamente os níveis de defesa para alcançar a segurança necessária, tal como definida pelo risco actualmente aceitável. As tarefas de optimização e de integração desta tese exploram estes conceitos. Além disso, os novos mecanismos propostos foram avaliados em casos de utilização no mundo real, tais como redes 5G ou outras infraestruturas de Network Slicing.Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Informátic

Security hardened remote terminal units for SCADA networks.

Remote terminal units (RTUs) are perimeter supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) devices that measure and control actual physical devices. Cyber security was largely ignored in SCADA for many years, and the cyber security issues that now face SCADA and DCS, specifically RTU security, are investigated in this research. This dissertation presents a new role based access control model designed specifically for RTUs and process control. The model is developed around the process control specific data element called a point, and point operations. The model includes: assignment constraints that limit the RTU operations that a specific role can be assigned and activation constraints that allow a security administrator to specify conditions when specific RTU roles or RTU permissions cannot be used. RTU enforcement of the new access control model depends on, and is supported by, the protection provided by an RTU\u27s operating system. This dissertation investigates two approaches for using minimal kernels to reduce potential vulnerabilities in RTU protection enforcement and create a security hardened RTU capable of supporting the new RTU access control model. The first approach is to reduce a commercial OS kernel to only those components needed by the RTU, removing any known or unknown vulnerabilities contained in the eliminated code and significantly reducing the size of the kernel. The second approach proposes using a microkernel that supports partitioning as the basis for an RTU specific operating system which isolates network related RTU software, the RTU attack surface, from critical RTU operational software such as control algorithms and analog and digital input and output. In experimental analysis of a prototype hardened RTU connected to real SCADA hardware, a reduction of over 50% was obtained in reducing a 2.4 Linux kernel to run on actual RTU hardware. Functional testing demonstrated that different users were able to carryout assigned tasks with the limited set of permissions provided by the security hardened RTU and a series of simulated insider attacks were prevented by the RTU role based access control system. Analysis of communication times indicated response times would be acceptable for many SCADA and DCS application areas. Investigation of a partitioning microkernel for an RTU identified the L4 microkernel as an excellent candidate. Experimental evaluation of L4 on real hardware found the IPC overhead for simulated critical RTU operations protected by L4 partitioning to be sufficiently small to warrant continued investigation of the approach

Maruchi OS kankyo o shiensuru sofutowea oyobi hadowea kino no teian

制度:新 ; 報告番号:甲3534号 ; 学位の種類:博士(工学) ; 授与年月日:2012/2/25 ; 早大学位記番号:新587

Dagstuhl News January - December 2008

"Dagstuhl News" is a publication edited especially for the members of the Foundation "Informatikzentrum Schloss Dagstuhl" to thank them for their support. The News give a summary of the scientific work being done in Dagstuhl. Each Dagstuhl Seminar is presented by a small abstract describing the contents and scientific highlights of the seminar as well as the perspectives or challenges of the research topic

A Taxonomy for and Analysis of Anonymous Communications Networks

Any entity operating in cyberspace is susceptible to debilitating attacks. With cyber attacks intended to gather intelligence and disrupt communications rapidly replacing the threat of conventional and nuclear attacks, a new age of warfare is at hand. In 2003, the United States acknowledged that the speed and anonymity of cyber attacks makes distinguishing among the actions of terrorists, criminals, and nation states difficult. Even President Obama’s Cybersecurity Chief-elect recognizes the challenge of increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. Now through April 2009, the White House is reviewing federal cyber initiatives to protect US citizen privacy rights. Indeed, the rising quantity and ubiquity of new surveillance technologies in cyberspace enables instant, undetectable, and unsolicited information collection about entities. Hence, anonymity and privacy are becoming increasingly important issues. Anonymization enables entities to protect their data and systems from a diverse set of cyber attacks and preserves privacy. This research provides a systematic analysis of anonymity degradation, preservation and elimination in cyberspace to enhance the security of information assets. This includes discovery/obfuscation of identities and actions of/from potential adversaries. First, novel taxonomies are developed for classifying and comparing well-established anonymous networking protocols. These expand the classical definition of anonymity and capture the peer-to-peer and mobile ad hoc anonymous protocol family relationships. Second, a unique synthesis of state-of-the-art anonymity metrics is provided. This significantly aids an entity’s ability to reliably measure changing anonymity levels; thereby, increasing their ability to defend against cyber attacks. Finally, a novel epistemic-based mathematical model is created to characterize how an adversary reasons with knowledge to degrade anonymity. This offers multiple anonymity property representations and well-defined logical proofs to ensure the accuracy and correctness of current and future anonymous network protocol design

Software security requirements management as an emerging cloud computing service

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Emerging cloud applications are growing rapidly and the need for identifying and managing service requirements is also highly important and critical at present. Software Engineering and Information Systems has established techniques, methods and technology over two decades to help achieve cloud service requirements, design, development, and testing. However, due to the lack of understanding of software security vulnerabilities that should have been identified and managed during the requirements engineering phase, we have not been so successful in applying software engineering, information management, and requirements management principles that have been established for the past at least 25 years, when developing secure software systems. Therefore, software security cannot just be added after a system has been built and delivered to customers as seen in today's software applications. This paper provides concise methods, techniques, and best practice requirements engineering and management as an emerging cloud service (SSREMaaES) and also provides guidelines on software security as a service. This paper also discusses an Integrated-Secure SDLC model (IS-SDLC), which will benefit practitioners, researchers, learners, and educators. This paper illustrates our approach for a large cloud system Amazon EC2 service