[vox-tech] Security in space!!

[Nicole Carlson]

On Mon, Dec 20, 2010 at 12:00 PM,  <vox-tech-request at lists.lugod.org> wrote:
>> Not physical access--it's hanging out 25,000 miles up in the air--so
>> much as information leakage.  The threat has to do with possibly
>> classified information leaking out.  Suppose that our hypothetical
>> Linux-running satellite processes classified information.  Now suppose
>> that something makes its kernel panic.  My understanding is that when
>> the core is dumped, including whatever possibly sensitive information
>> is in memory at the time, it becomes readable to anyone who can snarf
>> the coredump file and apply kernel debugging tools to it.  This would
>> be bad.  The easiest way I can think of to stop this would be to stop
>> the kernel from dumping core.
>
> Uhm, you have to have a key in memory to read the data or in some register
> and a decryption device. Say your device kernel panics. The network
> stack will go away, correct? And then you won't have to worry? I assume
> that the issue of physical security is not a big issue, correct? Not
> too many people doing space walks or are there? ;-) Or, is there
> an adversary with a robotic arm somehwere?

Theoretically, yes--there's no worry.  In practice, I'm PAID to worry.

> Perhaps you could use SPARK/ADA and develop a fully verified correct
> system that has full a <-> b relationship where b is always a secure
> state and a is your functionality set, and not a -> b, such that you
> implied. SPARK has a full system verification process and a built in
> prover using Prolog to aid in verification based upon annotations and
> architectural limitations that you provide.

Now THAT is a potentially fabulous idea.  I need to work up a proposal
for that.  Thanks!!


> On Mon, Dec 20, 2010 at 09:02:01AM -0800, Nicole Carlson wrote:
>>
>> Trust me--it is DEAD SEXY.  If I could give y'all a talk on it, I
>> would.  (Actually, I'm in Davis on 1/12, if you guys want me.)
>
> Ooh, our January meeting (our 12th anniversary, too!) is on the 17th.
> Of course, if you're in Davis and want to have a little informal
> gathering somewhere to talk about this, then by all means...!

Actually, I might be around then, too.  You guys have a speaker
planned?  Well.  Before I get ahead of myself, let me see if I can get
the idea cleared by the Corporate People In Charge Of Clearing Talks.

--n

-- 
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