Cross-Domain Gateway for Multilevel Secure Network Data Exchange
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current multilevel secure network communication systems face challenges in efficiently managing host-to-host data exchange across different security levels, as existing solutions often fail to ensure secure and reliable data transmission while adhering to mandatory access control policies.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a network communication system that utilizes a cross-domain solution (CDS) with protocol stacks configured to operate at various security levels, enabling data and acknowledgement filtering and republishing using multicast addresses, thereby ensuring secure data exchange between hosts with different security clearances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If hosts at different security levels communicate directly, then data exchange efficiency is improved, but security control and access management become compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway as an intermediary component that mediates communication between hosts at different security levels. The gateway receives data from high-security hosts, applies filtering rules based on security policies, and forwards only authorized data to low-security hosts. This intermediary structure enables efficient data exchange while maintaining security control, as the gateway enforces mandatory access control policies without requiring direct security-level compatibility between communicating hosts.
2Reliability
If mandatory access control policies are strictly enforced across all communication channels, then security is improved, but communication flexibility and data flow efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication system into multiple channels with different security requirements. High-security channels enforce strict mandatory access control policies, while low-security channels allow more flexible communication. The gateway segments data flows by applying different filtering rules to different data types and destinations. This segmentation enables the system to maintain high security where needed while allowing communication flexibility in appropriate contexts, resolving the contradiction between security enforcement and communication adaptability.
3Reliability
If security-level separation is maintained through complex filtering mechanisms, then security integrity is improved, but system complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway serves as a centralized intermediary that consolidates filtering logic and security policy enforcement. Instead of distributing complex filtering mechanisms across multiple hosts, the gateway centralizes these functions, reducing overall system complexity. The gateway maintains security integrity by enforcing filtering rules at a single point in the data flow, while hosts can communicate using simpler protocols without implementing their own complex security filtering logic.
Data Source
AI summary
A network communication system includes a plurality of computer systems each of which may operate in accordance with at least one protocol stack assigned to a security level of a multilevel security model. The computer system may perform address discovery or registration for network-layer address(es) with a network for an exchange of data between hosts provided by protocol stacks at respective security levels of the multilevel security model. And the computer system may exchange data between the hosts, with the data being accessible or inaccessible by the hosts according to the respective security levels and mandatory access control information flow policy/policies consistent with the multilevel security model. The address discovery or registration, on the other hand, may be performed using a network management protocol that is trusted and accessible by the hosts without regard to the respective security levels and mandatory access control information flow policy/policies.