Data and Applications Security Developments and Directions

1
Data and Applications Security Developments and
Directions

• Dr. Bhavani Thuraisingham
• The University of Texas at Dallas
• Lecture 6
• Multilevel Secure Database Management Systems -
  II
• January 27, 2005

2
Outline

• MLS/DBMS Designs and Prototypes
• Challenges
• Multilevel Secure Data Models
• MLS/DBMS Functions
• Directions

3
Overview of MLS/DBMS Designs

• Hinke-Schaefer (SDC Corporation) Introduced
  operating system providing mandatory access
  control
• Integrity Lock Prototypes Two Prototypes
  developed at MITRE using Ingres and Mistress
  relational database systems
• SeaView Funded by Rome Air Development Center
  (RADC) (now Air Force Rome Laboratory) and used
  operating system providing mandatory access
  control and introduced polyinstation
• Lock Data Views (LDV) Extended kernel approach
  developed by Honeywell and funded by RADC and
  investigated inference and aggregation

4
Overview of MLS/DBMS Designs (Concluded)

• ASD, ASD-Views Developed by TRW based on the
  Trusted subject approach. ASD Views provided
  access control on views
• SDDBMS Effort by Unisys funded by RADC and
  investigated the distributed approach
• SINTRA Developed by Naval Research Laboratory
  based on the replicated distributed approach
• SWORD Designed at the Defense Research Agency in
  the UK and there goal was not to have
  polyinstantiation

5
Some MLS/DBMS Commercial Products Developed
(late 1980s, early 1990s)

• Oracle (Trusted ORACLE7 and beyond)
  Hinke-Schafer and Trusted Subject based
  architectures
• Sybase (Secure SQL Server) Trusted subject
• ARC Professional Services Group
  (TRUDATA/SQLSentry) Integrity Lock
• Informix (Informix-On-LineSecure) Trusted
  Subject
• Digital Equipment Corporation (SERdb) (this group
  is now part of Oracle Corp) Trusted Subject
• InfoSystems Technology Inc. (Trusted RUBIX)
  Trusted Subject
• Teradata (DBC/1012) Secure Database Machine
• Ingres (Ingres Intelligent Database) Trusted
  Subject

6
Some Challenges Inference Problem

• Inference is the process of forming conclusions
  from premises
• If the conclusions are unauthorized, it becomes a
  problem
• Inference problem in a multilevel environment
• Aggregation problem is a special case of the
  inference problem - collections of data elements
  is Secret but the individual elements are
  Unclassified
• Association problem attributes A and B taken
  together is Secret - individually they are
  Unclassified

7
Some Challenges Polyinstantiation

• Mechanism to avoid certain signaling channels
• Also supports cover stories
• Example John and James have different salaries
  at different levels

8
Some Challenges Covert Channel

• Database transactions manipulate data locks and
  covertly pass information
• Two transactions T1 and T2 T1 operates at Secret
  level and T2 operates at Unclassified level
• Relation R is classified at Unclassified level
• T1 obtains read lock on R and T2 obtains write
  lock on R
• T1 and T2 can manipulate when they request locks
  and signal one bit information for each attempt
  and over time T1 could covertly send sensitive
  information to T1

9
Multilevel Secure Data Model Classifying
Databases

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Multilevel Secure Data Model Classifying
Relations

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Multilevel Secure Data Model Classifying
Attributes/Columns


12
Multilevel Secure Data Model Classifying
Tuples/Rows

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Multilevel Secure Data Model Classifying
Elements



14
Multilevel Secure Data Model Classifying Views




15
Multilevel Secure Data Model Classifying
Metadata





16
MLS/DBMS FunctionsOverview



17
MLS/DBMS FunctionsSecure Query Processing

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MLS/DBMS FunctionsSecure Transaction Management


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MLS/DBMS FunctionsSecure Integrity Management



20
Status and Directions

• MLS/DBMSs have been designed and developed for
  various kinds of database systems including
  object systems, deductive systems and distributed
  systems
• Provides an approach to host secure applications
• Can use the principles to design privacy
  preserving database systems
• Challenge is to host emerging secure applications
  including e-commerce and biometrics systems