Security Tagged Architecture Co-Design (STACD)
Abstract
The Security Tagged Architecture Co-Design (STACD) initiative focuses on eliminating inherent software vulnerabilities by redesigning the underlying hardware and the operating system to enforce software security policies and semantics. The new approach will use a metadata processing unit known as the tagged management unit (TMU) that operates concurrently with the CPU to process the metadata. The introduction of tag capable hardware requires software that uses tagged information. We will develop a tag enabled Operating System (OS) that permits the simplification and reduction in size of the OS for easier verification and validation. The STACD project will co-design a new scalable Security Tagged Multicore Processor (STMP), a Security Tagged Zero-Kernel OS (ST-ZKOS), and a Security Tagged Interconnect (STI) that will maintain metadata through execution without negatively influencing performance by processing the data and its corresponding metadata in parallel. This system will enforce software semantics and security policies, guarantee isolation and separation of information, and provide resistance to malicious attacks. The co-design approach provides a higher assurance of compatibility between the components and a stronger security base.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA584582
Entities
People
- Jonathan Heiner
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory