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Lookup NU author(s): Ian Welch, Dr Robert Stroud
Several authors have proposed using code modification as a technique for enforcing security policies such as resource limits, access controls, and network information flows. However, these approaches are typically ad hoc and are implemented without a high level abstract framework for code modification. We propose using reflection as a mechanism for implementing code modifications within an abstract framework based on the semantics of the underlying programming language. We have developed a reflective version of Java called Kava that uses byte-code rewriting techniques to insert pre-defined hooks into Java class files at load time. This makes it possible to specify and implement security policies for mobile code in a more abstract and flexible way. Our mechanism could be used as a more principled way of enforcing some of the existing security policies described in the literature. The advantages of our approach over related work (SASI, JRes, etc.) are that we can guarantee that our security mechanisms cannot be bypassed, a property we call strong non-bypassability, and that our approach provides the high level abstractions needed to build useful security policies.
Author(s): Welch I, Stroud RJ
Publication type: Report
Publication status: Published
Series Title: Department of Computing Science Technical Report Series
Year: 2000
Pages: 11
Print publication date: 01/01/2000
Source Publication Date: 2000
Report Number: 705
Institution: Department of Computing Science, University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Place Published: Newcastle upon Tyne
URL: http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/publications/trs/papers/705.pdf
