Software process control for secure program execution

  • Authors:
  • John C. Munson;Jack L. Meador;Rick P. Hoover

  • Affiliations:
  • Computer Measurement Laboratory, Meridian, ID;Computer Measurement Laboratory, Meridian, ID;Computer Measurement Laboratory, Meridian, ID

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Workshop on Cyber Security and Information Intelligence Research
  • Year:
  • 2010

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Abstract

The lack of basic principles of engineering design and discipline has led to some very serious problems in the computer security arena. At the heart of modern power systems are Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) software systems that provide real time control and data management [2]. It is interesting to note that every aspect of a hardware system that is under control of the SCADA architecture is fully instrumented and the operation of the monitored system is totally under management of the control system. However, the software that controls the entire power grid is essentially open loop and uncontrolled. It would be unthinkable to build a complex hardware system without embedding monitors for process control throughout the whole architecture. Ironically, the backbone of modern control systems, SCADA for example, is almost entirely dependent on a software system that is running out of control It is our thesis is that it is possible to measure software systems when they are running. When these software systems are running normally, the range of behavior that they will exhibit in terms of measurable characteristics of the program is highly constrained. When the systems are disturbed either intentionally or as a result of program failure, their behavior will change dramatically. This change in behavior can be detected through the dynamic measurement of the executing software.