Report 2013-2
Compiling Abstract Specifications into Concrete Systems - Bringing Order to the Cloud
by Ian Unruh, Alexandru G. Bardas, Rui Zhuang, Xinming Ou, and Scott A. DeLoach.
Abstract:
Currently, there are no suitable abstractions that allow cloud users to define the structure
and dependency of the services in a cloud-based IT system. As a result, cloud users either
have to manage the low-level details of the cloud services directly, such as in IaaS, or
resort to SaaS or PaaS where much or part of the services are managed by the cloud provider
but are less flexible to customize to better suit user needs. We propose a high-level
abstraction called the requirement model for defining cloud-based IT systems. It captures
the important aspects of a system's structure, such as service dependencies, without
considering the low-level details such as operating systems or application configurations.
The requirement model separates the cloud customer's concern of what the system does, from
the system engineer's concern of how to implement it. We further develop a "compilation"
process that automatically translates a requirement model into a concrete system based
on pre-defined and reusable knowledge units. This higher-level specification and the
associated compilation process allows repeatable deployment of cloud-based IT systems,
supports more reliable system management, and enables implementing the same requirement
in multiple ways. We demonstrate the practicality of this approach in the ANCOR (Automated
eNterprise network COmpileR) framework, which takes a requirement model and generates an
IT system based on that specification. Our current implementation targets OpenStack and
uses Puppet to configure the cloud instances, although it could work with other cloud
platforms and configuration management solutions as well.
Report 2013-1
Multi-Factor Authentication for More Resilient Distributed
Storage in Wireless Networks
by
Scott Bell, Eugene Vasserman, and Daniel Andresen.
Abstract:
Modern military units derive great tactical advantage from secure
real-time sharing of data such as maps, images and orders among
soldiers. However, distributing this information in real time in a
combat situation creates significant risk: when using a mobile
communication network, the adversary may capture one or more mobile
devices, gaining access to this data and endangering the entire unit.
While these devices are generally tamper-resistant and require a login,
this would not deter a well-funded and motivated attacker. In this work,
we present a protocol which significantly reduces the adversary's window
of opportunity for attack by incorporating distributed content storage
and revocable authentication for users and individual devices without
increasing the difficulty of soldier-device interaction. To further
limit an adversary's ability to access this data, file requests must
contain fresh authentication information from both a trusted user and
device. We analyze the benefits and trade-offs of this protocol both
theoretically and through tests on real-world mobile devices, and find
that the computation, response, and battery overhead are acceptable
purely in software, and can be greatly reduced with inexpensive hardware
acceleration. Simulations indicate the probability of data loss is
significantly reduced over systems which only require a user secret
(password or PIN).