Service Oriented Security Framework for Compartmented Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current compartmented high assurance networks face inconsistencies in security mechanisms, lacking multi-factor authentication, content adjudication, and user-to-workstation binding, which can lead to unauthorized access and disclosure of classified information.
Innovation Solution
A comprehensive security framework that integrates user-to-workstation binding, providing consistent security across all collaborative applications through a service-oriented architecture, utilizing a digitally signed browser application to access user and workstation certificates, and implementing adjudication services for chat, email, and VoIP content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If security barriers are eroded between users, LANs, and applications to facilitate collaboration, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to inconsistent and inadequate security mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments security validation into distinct components: user authentication, workstation authentication, and content adjudication. Each component operates independently but contributes to the overall security framework, allowing collaboration across segmented networks while maintaining consistent security validation at each layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The security framework introduces intermediary services including a security token service (STS) that issues security tokens, and content adjudication services that mediate between users and compartmented data. These intermediaries ensure consistent security validation without preventing collaboration.
2Device complexity
If traditional security mechanisms are used without user-to-workstation binding, then device complexity is reduced, but harmful factors increase due to unauthorized access risks
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary authentication actions by binding users to specific workstations before accessing compartmented data. The security framework validates both user credentials and workstation credentials in advance, establishing a trusted relationship that prevents unauthorized access without adding complex runtime security mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The security framework changes the authentication parameters from simple user credentials to a composite validation including user certificates, workstation certificates, and content caveats. This parameter enhancement provides stronger security against unauthorized access while maintaining a relatively simple implementation through standard cryptographic techniques.
3Reliability
If multi-factor authentication and content adjudication are implemented, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The security framework implements universal authentication mechanisms that work across multiple collaborative applications including chat, email, and file sharing. The same user-to-workstation binding and content adjudication services provide multi-factor authentication throughout the system, improving reliability without requiring separate complex authentication systems for each application.
Data Source
AI summary
A system receives a request to store a document in a database, receives a user security token, analyzes the document to determine an adjudicated security level for the document, compares the user security token to the adjudicated security level, stores the document when the user security token is equal to the adjudicated security level, when the user security token is not equal to the adjudicated security level, queries the user as to whether the document should be stored with the adjudicated security level, receives a response to the query from the user, stores the document when the user agrees to store the document with the adjudicated security level, and when the user does not agree to store the document with the adjudicated security level, transmits a message to a security officer and quarantine the document.