Research On Authorization Based Active Network Security

Active networks (AN) are a new approach to network architecture which allow users or the third part software providers to perform customized programming. The new type architecture of networks can optimize the performance of networks, accelerating the development and application of new technologies and protocols by distributing lots of computing tasks into the cheap nodes of networks. And has promising direction. It can provide efficient solutions to the problems from Internet. Then it is called the networks of 21st century.In ANs, the authorized user has the management right of network which used to be possessed only by the system administrator, and can administrating and control the resources of the active nodes. The active packets with executable codes can access the resources of the nodes, and can allocate & modify the resources in most degree. All of these may bring the dangers from the malicious or defect codes. How to construct a secure environment for active networks is the prerequisite of ANs to be popularized in practice. Currently the security issues of ANs are still unsolved entirely. This thesis begins with an overview of the threats and security technologies of active networks, drawing lessons from all of other security architectures and mechanisms for ANs, then presents a design and description of the implementation of a secure authorization prototype for ANs, which combines with the strong authentication and access control authorization using active networking principles. The secure authorization prototype can support customized security services. The main contributions of the thesis are summarized as follows:Examines the threat model and the research status of security technologies implicit in active networks firstly. After considering the favorite security architecture of ANSA and ABone, the various security mechanisms, the* current models, the various implementing methods and the trust models of ANs, we propose an abstract security model for ANs, which can provide a guide and framework for our prototype.* Presenting a strong authentication model for ANs after deeply researching the various authentication methods of ANs. Since the differences between the active networks and passive networks, the authentication of principals or entities in active networks will meet more challenging. After deeply researching the essential security requirements of ANs, we propose a strong authentication model combining with hop-by-hop and end-to-end security, which can also provide integrity, confidentiality and non-repudiation security services. * Presenting a KTC-based key establishment protocol between active nodes, which can be used to allow two principals in the network to establish secret keys and exchange certificates. The protocol can also be used in neighbor nodes discovery and bootstrap failure-recovery.* After analyzing various network access control technologies, we propose a capability and access control list combined active access control model. We extend the principles and mechanisms of traditional capability and reference monitor, designing an AC (Active Capability)structure and an active access control engine - AAC (Active Access Controller). The current access control models for ANs either ignore the access control of normal IP packets or only perform access control by single access control mechanism. It is obviously not efficient for the IP based active networks. The AAC has considered enough the features of implementing active access control in IP network environment. It performs the access control list for normal IP packets while performing the AC access mechanism for active packets.Presenting a secure authorization prototype - SDATS(Secure Dynamic Active Toolkit System). It implements our authentication and access control model described above. The Java-based prototype is highly transplantable by means of the independence and security features of Java2. The dynamic code* load protocol provides the intelligence and security for transporting ACs. Interce...