1. NRL Security Architecture: A Web Services-Based Solution
Anya Kim
Naval Research Lab
Washington D.C.

2. NRL Security Architecture
Initially developed to support a DoD project WS
node WS
node
identify potential threats with increased speed, timeliness, and accuracy WS
node

3. NRL Security Architecture
Security Requirements
Information sharing
While each node is autonomous, some information may need to be shared with coalition partners, law enforcement community, etc
Uses complex sharing rules based on MOA, coalition participation, location, roles, etc
Autonomy and survivability
Each node should be able to function (even in degraded mode) independent of other nodes
Secure data management
Data is coming from various sources and security levels
Label data based on sources, classification (e.g., levels of trust)
Enforce access control based on data labels and requestor credentials
Derived from the overview of CMA slide

4. NRL Security Architecture
Architecture Features
Uses web services
Multiple instances of autonomous web service nodes deployed within a service oriented architecture (SOA) infrastructure
Each organization maintains its own users
Each organization determines and maintains its own web service access policy
Cross organizational access policies will be based on pre-written agreements (MOU, MOA, etc)

5. NRL Security Architecture
Security Features
Oracle Label Security
Federated A&A Model
Authentication
Authorization
Network security *
All data in transit is transmitted across the network in encrypted mode

6. Oracle Label Security
Two aspects of data protection: access mediation to data and data separation
Oracle Label Security (OLS) provides mechanisms for data protection via access mediation and has Common Criteria (CC) Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) 4.
By using correctly created data labels we can enforce policies by allowing us to label the data source.
It is important to understand that OLS in this system is not used to protect data from different security levels (e.g., Top secret, secret, unclassified). Rather, it is used to protect data from various organizations (e.g., Coast Guard, DoD) within the same security level.

7. Oracle Label Security (cont.)
Use OLS to separate and label data from various organizations and implement label security policy that satisfies data owners’ rules and regulations
Regular user application is label unaware, and all data separation and access mediation is performed by the OLS that implements the project’s overall label security policy
User applications (i.e., Web services) do not mediate access to data. They pass user information to Oracle and OLS returns data that the user is allowed to read

8. Federated A&A Based on a service-oriented architecture
Users access the data via a series of web services
The web apps require the user to authenticate himself before gaining access to the web pages. Additionally, the user’s attributes, such as role and organization are included to provide input to access control decisions
Based on OASIS Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) 2.0, and Access Control Markup Language (XACML)2.0
Peer-to-peer trust relationships rather than multilateral
Provides better flexibility

9. Federated A&A (cont.) SSO/SLO (Single Sign-on, Single Logout)
Users need only to authenticate locally, hence required to only know one username/password combo
Reduces password associated risks
Ease of management
Enables each organization to use pre-existing authentication mechanisms independent of others
Allows organizations to create authorization policies according to their own policies
Simplifies user management in a dynamic environment

10. NRL Security Architecture Information Flow

11. Conclusion NRL Security Architecture Uses commercial standards
Enables independent nodes to run in degraded mode if necessary (survivability)
Provides strong authentication and authorization, while preserving unique security and data sharing requirements of entities
Is applicable to other areas where security, information sharing (e.g., need-to-know) and survivability are issues