The advent of trusted computer operating systems
AFIPS '80 Proceedings of the May 19-22, 1980, national computer conference
Resiliency of the computerized society
AFIPS '83 Proceedings of the May 16-19, 1983, national computer conference
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Computer systems that have been subjected to formal verification of correctness of their access control mechanisms and that can provide multilevel security are called trusted systems. Their prototypes are now being developed under government programs and, to a much lesser scale, as a part of vendors' in-house research and development. While the need for trusted systems in national defense applications is well known, the need for trusted systems in private sector's business and industrial applications has been largely unexplored. This paper identifies several generic types of needs and incentives for the use of trusted systems, such as maintaining management control, complying with regulatory requirements, protecting computer representations of assets and resources, assuring safety and integrity, realizing certain operational economies, and enhancing marketing advantage or public image. It then examines the private sector's aspects of these generic needs, as well as disincentives that may surface. The paper concludes with an assessment of the prospects for commercial availability of trusted systems and the vendors' incentives for developing and marketing these systems.