Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation
7-2012
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
M. Eng.
Department
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Committee Chair
Graham, James H.
Author's Keywords
Microkernel; SL4; Security
Subject
Supervisory control systems--Security measures; Computer security; Security systems
Abstract
This thesis documents the successful development and testing of a more secure industrial control system field device architecture and software. The implementation of a secure field device has had limitations in the past due to a lack of secure operating system and guidelines. With the recent verification of OK Labs SEL4 microkernel, a verified operating system for such devices is possible, creating a possibility for a secure field device following open standards using known security protocols and low level memory and functionary isolation. The virtualized prototype makes use of common hardware and an existing secure field device architecture to implement a new level of security where the device is verified to function as expected. The experimental evaluation provides performance data which indicates the usefulness of the architecture in the field and security function integration testing to guarantee secure programs can be implemented on the device. Results of the devices functionality are hopeful, showing useful performance for many applications and further development as a fully functional secure field device.
Recommended Citation
Kurtz, Kevin C., "Microkernel security evaluation." (2012). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 784.
https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/784
