Towards security labelling

ABSTRACT

Security labels are applied for numerous reasons, including the handling of data communicated between open systems. The information contained within a security label can be utilised to perform access control decisions, specify protective measure, and aid in the determination of additional handling restrictions required by a communications security policy. This paper concerns the issues regarding security labelling in open systems. We propose a security labelling framework for such systems; and further, based on this framework, we develop a mechanically checkable model for security labelling systems and discuss its implementation issues. This model provides a functional base for future design and implementation of security labelling systems.

REFERENCES

• 1: FIPS PUB 188. (1994), Standard Security Label for Information Transfer. Available from www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/fipl88.htm.
• 2: ISO/IEC 7498-1 (1994), Information Technology - Open Systems Interconnection - Basic Reference Model: The Basic Model. ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission).
• 3: AusCert, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. (2002), Australian Computer Crime and Security Survey. http://www.auscert.org.au/Information/ Auscert_info/2002cs.pdf.
• 4: Bell, D. E. & LaPadula, L. J. (1976), Secure Computer System: Unified exposition and Multics interpretation. MTR-2997, MITRE, Bedford, MA.
• 5: Biba, K. J. (1977), Integrity Consideration for Secure Computer Systems. MTR-3153, The Mitre Corporation.
• 6: Internet CIPSO Working Group. (1993), Common IP Security Option Version 2.3. Internet Draft.
• 7: Nevin Heintze , Jon G. Riecke, The SLam calculus: programming with secrecy and integrity, Proceedings of the 25th ACM SIGPLAN-SIGACT symposium on Principles of programming languages, p.365-377, January 19-21, 1998, San Diego, California, United States [doi>10.1145/268946.268976]
• 8: Housley, R. (1993), Security Labeling Framework for the Intenet. Internet RFC 1457, May 1993.
• 9: ITU-T Recommendation X.841 (2000), Information technology - Security Techniques - Security information objects for access control.
• 10: McCabe, K., Rassenti, S. & Smith, V. (1996), Game theory and reciprocity in some extensive form experimental games. Proceeding of The National Academy of Science, 93:13421-13428.
• 11: Andrew C. Myers , Barbara Liskov, Protecting privacy using the decentralized label model, ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology (TOSEM), v.9 n.4, p.410-442, Oct. 2000 [doi>10.1145/363516.363526]
• 12: M. K. Reiter , S. G. Stubblebine, Toward acceptable metrics of authentication, Proceedings of the 1997 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, p.10, May 04-07, 1997
• 13: Bruce Schneier, Secrets & Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, 2000
• 14: Adrian Spalka , Armin B. Cremers , Hartmut Lehmler, Protecting Confidentiality against Trojan Horse Programs in Discretionary Access Control System, Proceedings of the 5th Australasian Conference on Information Security and Privacy, p.1-17, July 10-12, 2000
• 15: Steve Zdancewic , Lantian Zheng , Nathaniel Nystrom , Andrew C. Myers, Untrusted hosts and confidentiality: secure program partitioning, Proceedings of the eighteenth ACM symposium on Operating systems principles, October 21-24, 2001, Banff, Alberta, Canada
• 16: Zheng, L. & Myers, A.C. (2004), Dynamic security labels and noninterference. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on Formal Aspects in Security and Trust (FAST), Toulouse, France.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
      C.2.0 General
          Subjects: Security and protection (e.g., firewalls)

Additional Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
      C.2.0 General
          Subjects: Open Systems Interconnection reference model (OSI)
      C.2.3 Network Operations
          Subjects: Network management; Network monitoring

  K. Computing Milieux
  K.6 MANAGEMENT OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
      K.6.5 Security and Protection (D.4.6, K.4.2)

General Terms:
Algorithms, Design, Security

Keywords:
label validation, open systems, security labelling, security policy