Strongbox : a self-securing protection system for distributed programs

We introduce a new method of approaching security in distributed systems: self-securing programs. These programs run securely on distributed operating systems which provide only minimal security facilities. We have built a system called Strongbox to support self-securing programs on Mach, a distributed operating system, and Camelot, a distributed transaction facility. Strongbox uses negligible overhead and is relatively small, making the task of verification easier. Our paper presents the implementation of self-securing programs on Mach and Camelot and an overview of the algorithms used. We describe the performance and the current status of Strongbox. This research was sponsored by IBM and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DOD), ARPA Order No 4864 (Amendment 20), under contract F33615-87-C-1499 monitored by the Avionics Laboratory Air Force Wright Aeronautical Laboratories, Wright-Patterson AFB. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of any of the sponsoring agencies or the US government.