Performance analysis of unified enterprise application security framework

Unified Enterprise application security is a new emerging approach for providing protection against application level attacks. Conventional application security approach that consists of embedding security into each critical application leads towards scattered security mechanism that is not only difficult to manage but also creates security loopholes. According to the CSIIFBI computer crime survey report, almost 80% of the security breaches come from authorized users. In this paper, we have worked on the concept of unified security model, which manages all security aspect from a single security window. The basic idea is to keep business functionality separate from security components of the application. Our main focus was on the designing of frame work for unified layer which supports single point of policy control, centralize logging mechanism, granular, context aware access control, and independent from any underlying authentication technology and authorization policy.

Specifying and enforcing a fine-grained information flow policy : model and experiments

In this paper we present a model for defining and enforcing a fine-grained information flow policy. We describe how the policy can be enforced on a typical computer and present experiments using the proposed model. A key feature of the model is that it allows the expression of rules which detail precisely which information elements are allowed to mix together. For example, the model allows the expression of a policy which forbids a doctor from mixing the personal medical details of the patients. The enforcement mechanisms tracks and records information flows within the system so that dynamic changes to the policy can be made with respect to information elements which may have propagated to different locations in the system.

Bias in the nonlinear filter generator output sequence

Nonlinear filter generators are common components used in the keystream generators for stream ciphers and more recently for authentication mechanisms. They consist of a Linear Feedback Shift Register (LFSR) and a nonlinear Boolean function to mask the linearity of the LFSR output. Properties of the output of a nonlinear filter are not well studied. Anderson noted that the m-tuple output of a nonlinear filter with consecutive taps to the filter function is unevenly distributed. Current designs use taps which are not consecutive. We examine m-tuple outputs from nonlinear filter generators constructed using various LFSRs and Boolean functions for both consecutive and uneven (full positive difference sets where possible) tap positions. The investigation reveals that in both cases, the m-tuple output is not uniform. However, consecutive tap positions result in a more biased distribution than uneven tap positions, with some m-tuples not occurring at all. These biased distributions indicate a potential flaw that could be exploited for cryptanalysis.

Towards a game theoretic authorisation model

Authorised users (insiders) are behind the majority of security incidents with high financial impacts. Because authorisation is the process of controlling users’ access to resources, improving authorisation techniques may mitigate the insider threat. Current approaches to authorisation suffer from the assumption that users will (can) not depart from the expected behaviour implicit in the authorisation policy. In reality however, users can and do depart from the canonical behaviour. This paper argues that the conflict of interest between insiders and authorisation mechanisms is analogous to the subset of problems formally studied in the field of game theory. It proposes a game theoretic authorisation model that can ensure users’ potential misuse of a resource is explicitly considered while making an authorisation decision. The resulting authorisation model is dynamic in the sense that its access decisions vary according to the changes in explicit factors that influence the cost of misuse for both the authorisation mechanism and the insider.

Hash based disk imaging using AFF4

Forensic imaging has been facing scalability challenges for some time. As disk capacity growth continues to outpace storage IO bandwidth, the demands placed on storage and time are ever increasing. Data reduction and de-duplication technologies are now commonplace in the Enterprise space, and are potentially applicable to forensic acquisition. Using the new AFF4 forensic file format we employ a hash based compression scheme to leverage an existing corpus of images, reducing both acquisition time and storage requirements. This paper additionally describes some of the recent evolution in the AFF4 file format making the efficient implementation of hash based imaging a reality.

The mobile phone as a multi OTP device using trusted computing

The rapid growth in the number of online services leads to an increasing number of different digital identities each user needs to manage. As a result, many people feel overloaded with credentials, which in turn negatively impact their ability to manage them securely. Passwords are perhaps the most common type of credential used today. To avoid the tedious task of remembering difficult passwords, users often behave less securely by using low entropy and weak passwords. Weak passwords and bad password habits represent security threats to online services. Some solutions have been developed to eliminate the need for users to create and manage passwords. A typical solution is based on giving the user a hardware token that generates one-time-passwords, i.e. passwords for single session or transaction usage. Unfortunately, most of these solutions do not satisfy scalability and/or usability requirements, or they are simply insecure. In this paper, we propose a scalable OTP solution using mobile phones and based on trusted computing technology that combines enhanced usability with strong security.

Information sharing in the 21st century : progress and challenges

With the increasing threat of cyber and other attacks on critical infrastructure, governments throughout the world have been organizing industry to share information on possible threats. In Australia the Office of the Attorney General has formed Trusted Information Sharing Networks (TISN) for the various critical industries such as banking and electricity. Currently the majority of information for a TISN is shared at physical meetings. To meet cyber threats there are clearly limitations to physical meetings. Many of these limitations can be overcome by the creation of a virtual information sharing network (VISN). However there are many challenges to overcome in the design of a VISN both from a policy and technical viewpoint. We shall discuss some of these challenges in this talk.

A matter of confidence : privacy compliance for connected-up enterprises

Governments around the world are increasingly investing in information and communications technology (ICT) as a means of improving service delivery to citizens. Government ICT adoption is also being driven by a desire to streamline information accessibility and information flows within government - both between different levels of government and between different departments at the same level. Increasing the availability of information internally and to citizens has clear and compelling benefits but it also carries risks that must be carefully managed. This talk will examine the implications of such E-government initiatives for a range of compliance obligations, with a focus on information privacy. It will review recent developments in the area of systems-based enforcement of privacy policies and the particular privacy challenges presented by the aggregation of geospatial information.

A framework for improved adolescent and child safety in MMOs

This paper presents an approach to providing better safety for adolescents playing online games. We highlight an emerging paedophile presence in online games and offer a general framework for the design of monitoring and alerting tools. Our method is to monitor and detect relationships forming with a child in online games, and alert if the relationship indicates an offline meeting with the child has been arranged or has the potential to occur. A prototype implementation with demonstrative components of the framework has been created and is introduced. The prototype demonstration and evaluation uses a teen rated online relationship-building environment for its case study, specifically the predominant Massive Multiplayer Online Game (MMO) World of Warcraft.

A distributed denial of service testbed

The Denial of Service Testing Framework (dosTF) being developed as part of the joint India-Australia research project for ‘Protecting Critical Infrastructure from Denial of Service Attacks’ allows for the construction, monitoring and management of emulated Distributed Denial of Service attacks using modest hardware resources. The purpose of the testbed is to study the effectiveness of different DDoS mitigation strategies and to allow for the testing of defense appliances. Experiments are saved and edited in XML as abstract descriptions of an attack/defense strategy that is only mapped to real resources at run-time. It also provides a web-application portal interface that can start, stop and monitor an attack remotely. Rather than monitoring a service under attack indirectly, by observing traffic and general system parameters, monitoring of the target application is performed directly in real time via a customised SNMP agent.

Delegation in predicate encryption supporting disjunctive queries

Predicate encryption has an advantage over traditional public-key or identity-based encryption, since predicate encryption systems provide more flexible control over access to encrypted data. We focus on delegation capabilities in predicate systems. More specifically, we investigate delegatable encryption systems supporting disjunctive predicate evaluations. We present formal security definitions of delegatable predicate encryption and provide the first delegatable predicate encryption scheme which supports disjunctive predicate evaluations in the public-key setting. We analyze the security of the proposed system and give a security proof. In addition, we present a delegatable predicate encryption in the symmetric-key setting and discuss the related security issues.

Distributing sensitive information in the MPEG-21 multimedia framework

The MPEG-21 Multimedia Framework provides for controlled distribution of multimedia works through its Intellectual Property Management and Protection ("IPMP") Components and Rights Expression Language ("MPEG REL"). The IPMP Components provide a framework by which the components of an MPEG-21 digital item can be protected from undesired access, while MPEG REL provides a mechanism for describing the conditions under which a component of a digital item may be used and distributed. This chapter describes how the IPMP Components and MPEG REL were used to implement a series of digital rights management applications at the Cooperative Research Centre for Smart Internet Technology in Australia. While the IPMP Components and MPEG REL were initially designed to facilitate the protection of copyright, the applications also show how the technology can be adapted to the protection of private personal information and sensitive corporate information.

Signal authentication and integrity schemes for next generation global navigation satellite systems

This paper describes a number of techniques for GNSS navigation message authentication. A detailed analysis of the security facilitated by navigation message authentication is given. The analysis takes into consideration the risk of critical applications that rely on GPS including transportation, finance and telecommunication networks. We propose a number of cryptographic authentication schemes for navigation data authentication. These authentication schemes provide authenticity and integrity of the navigation data to the receiver. Through software simulation, the performance of the schemes is quantified. The use of software simulation enables the collection of authentication performance data of different data channels, and the impact of various schemes on the infrastructure and receiver. Navigation message authentication schemes have been simulated at the proposed data rates of Galileo and GPS services, for which the resulting performance data is presented. This paper concludes by making recommendations for optimal implementation of navigation message authentication for Galileo and next generation GPS systems.

Secure tracking for critical applications : communications, GPS and future Galileo services

Tracking/remote monitoring systems using GNSS are a proven method to enhance the safety and security of personnel and vehicles carrying precious or hazardous cargo. While GNSS tracking appears to mitigate some of these threats, if not adequately secured, it can be a double-edged sword allowing adversaries to obtain sensitive shipment and vehicle position data to better coordinate their attacks, and to provide a false sense of security to monitoring centers. Tracking systems must be designed with the ability to perform route-compliance and thwart attacks ranging from low-level attacks such as the cutting of antenna cables to medium and high-level attacks involving radio jamming and signal / data-level simulation, especially where the goods transported have a potentially high value to terrorists. This paper discusses the use of GNSS in critical tracking applications, addressing the mitigation of GNSS security issues, augmentation systems and communication systems in order to provide highly robust and survivable tracking systems.

Secure tracking using trusted GNSS receivers and Galileo authentication services

This paper describes a secure framework for tracking applications that use the Galileo signal authentication services. First a number of limitations that affect the trust of critical tracking applications, even in presence of authenticated GNSS signals, are detailed. Requirements for secure tracking are then introduced; detailing how the integrity characteristics of the Galileo authentication could enhance the security of active tracking applications. This paper concludes with a discussion of our existing tracking technology using a Siemens TC45 GSM/GPRS module and future development utilizing our previously proposed trusted GNSS receiver.