Security Policies: Confidentiality policies, integrity policies, hybrid
policies, non-interference and
policy composition, international standards
Security Policies Overview
•Definition of Security Policies:
◦A security policy specifies the rules for protecting sensitive information and
resources in a system.
•Types of Policies:
◦Confidentiality Policies
◦Integrity Policies
◦Hybrid Policies
◦Non-interference and Policy Composition
•Purpose:
◦Enforce security requirements and mitigate risks.
Introduction to Confidentiality
Definition: Preventing unauthorized disclosure of information.
•Key Concept: "Who can read what?"
•Examples: Protecting classified government data, personal medical records.
Bell-LaPadula Model
•Focus: Enforcing confidentiality in multilevel systems.
•Rules:
1. A subject (user/process) cannot read data at a higher security level than their
clearance.
2. Prevents unauthorized access to classified information.
1. A subject cannot write data to a lower security level.
2. Prevents leakage of sensitive information to less secure areas.
•Applications of the BLP Model
◦Government and Military Systems: Protects classified national security information.
◦Medical Records Management: Ensures patient data confidentiality by restricting access
based on roles.
◦Financial Institutions: Secures sensitive financial transactions and customer
Limitations of Confidentiality Policies
•Does not address integrity or availability.
•Assumes a fixed classification of data and users.
Introduction to Integrity Policy
•Definition: Preventing unauthorized modification of information.
•Key Concept: "Who can write what?"
•Examples: Financial transactions, software updates.
Biba Integrity Model
•Focus: Preventing improper data modification.
•Rules:
◦Simple Integrity Property (“No Read Down”): A subject cannot read data at a lower integrity
level.
◦*-Integrity Property (“No Write Up”): A subject cannot write to a higher integrity level.
•Applications: Business and financial systems.
Clark-Wilson Model
•Focus: Well-formed transactions and separation of duties.
•Key Features:
◦Constrained Data Items (CDIs) and Unconstrained Data Items (UDIs).
◦Use of Transformation Procedures (TPs) and Integrity Verification Procedures
(IVPs).
•Applications: Industrial and commercial settings.
Hybrid Policies and Need for Hybrid Policies
•Limitations of single-focus policies.
•Hybrid security policies combine aspects of both confidentiality and integrity policies to provide
a balanced approach to information security.
•These policies are designed to protect sensitive data while also ensuring its accuracy,
consistency, and ethical access.
•Example: Healthcare systems requiring both data confidentiality and integrity.
Example: Chinese Wall Model
•Designed to prevent conflicts of interest in environments where individuals have access to
sensitive information from multiple competing organizations.
•A user can access data within one conflict-of-interest class but is restricted from accessing data
from a competing entity.
•Key Principle: Ensures that decisions are made impartially without using confidential
information from competing clients.
Chinese Wall Model
•Focus: Avoiding conflicts of interest.
•Rules:
◦Subjects can access data only if there is no conflict with previously accessed data.
•Application: Financial and legal consulting.
Brewer-Nash Model
•Similar to Chinese Wall, but with dynamic enforcement.
•Focuses on preventing data leakage in competitive environments.
Non-Interference and Policy Composition
Non-Interference
•Definition: Ensuring actions of one user do not affect another’s view of the system.
•Application: Multilevel security systems.
•Example: Preventing covert channels in a classified environment.
Policy Composition
•Combining multiple policies in a single system.
•Approaches:
◦Hierarchical Composition: Policies are layered hierarchically.
◦Parallel Composition: Policies work independently but are enforced simultaneously.
Challenges in Policy Composition
•Conflicts between policies.
•Performance overhead.
•Example: Integrating integrity and confidentiality policies in a distributed system.
International Standards
ISO/IEC Standards (International Organization for Standardization / International Electrotechnical Commission)
•ISO/IEC 27001: Information Security Management Systems (ISMS).
•ISO/IEC 15408 (Common Criteria): Evaluation of security systems.
TCSEC and ITSEC
TCSEC: Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria (U.S. DoD).
•ITSEC: Information Technology Security Evaluation Criteria (European Union).
Common Criteria (CC)
•Focus: Global standard for computer security certification.
•Evaluation Assurance Levels (EAL): EAL1 to EAL7.
•Applications: Certifying software and hardware products.
