Security Issues for Java-Based Agents

Abstract

Abstract: With the popularization of computer networks,there has been a shift proposed in distributed system programming from the remote procedure call to the remote programming paradigm,to decrease network traffic and improve performance.Software agents could be used to accomplish this task.The use of agents has several advantages and a few disadvantages,including added security issues.In order to implement autonomous security of Java agent,the author presents a new module system for Java that improves upon many of the deficiencies of the Java package system and gives the programmer more control over dynamic linking.Next,the author develops a general agent model and discusses general security issues in that model.Finally,the author proposes a practical solution that addresses some of those security issues.

Key words: software agents, remote procedure call, dynamic linking, autonomous security

LIU Chuan-Cai. Security Issues for Java-Based Agents[J]. journal6, 2003, 24(1): 26-36.

References

[1] BAUER LUJO,APPLE ADREW W，FELTEN EDWARD W.Mechanisms for Secure Modular Programming in Java[R].Technical Report:TR-603-99,Department of Computer Science,Princeton University,1999.

[2] GOSLING JAMES,JOY BILL,STEELE GUY.The Java Language Specification，the Java Series[M].Reading,Massachusetts:Addison-Wesley,1996.

[3] MILNER ROBIN,TOFTE MADS,HARPER ROBERT.The Definition of Standard ML[M].Cambridge,MA:MIT Press,1990.

[4] BLUME MATTHIAS，APPLE ANDREW.Hierarchical Modularity[M].ACM Transactions on Programming Language and Systems,1999.

[5] CARDELLI LUCA.Program Fragments,Linking,and Modularization[A].24th ACM SIGPLAN-SIGACT Symposium on the Principle of Programming Languages [C].Baltimore,1997.266-277.

[6] LINDHOLM TIM,YELLIN FRANK.The Java Virtual Machine Specification[M].Reading,Massachusetts:Addison-Wesley,1997.

[7] LEROY XAVIER,ROUAIX FRANCOIS.Security Properties of Typed Applets[A].Conference Record of POPL '98:The 25 ACM SIGPLAN-SIGACT Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages[C].San Diego,California,1998.391-403.

[8] SUN MICROSYSTEMS.Java Core Reflection[EB/OL].http://www.java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.2/docs/guide/reflection/spec/java-reflection.doc.html,1998.

[9] GRAFINKEL,SIMSON,GENE SPAFFORD.Practical UNIX & Internet Security [R].O'Reilly & Associates,Inc.,1996.

[10] KAUFMAN CHARLIE,PERMAN RADIA,SPECINER MIKE.Network Security Private Communication in a Public Worlds[M].Englewood Cliffs,NJ:Prentice Hall,1995.

[11] PFLEEGER,CHARLES P.Security in Computing(2nd Edition)[M].Englewood Cliffs,NJ:Prentice Hall,1997.

[12] SCHNEIER,BRUCE.Applied Cryptography(2nd Edition)[M].San Francisco,US:John Wiley & Sons,1996.

[13] DEAN DREW,FELTEN EDWARD W,WALLACH DAN S,etc.Java Security:Web Browsers and Beyond[A].DOROTHY E DENNING,PETER J DENNING.Internet Beseiged:Countering Cyberspace Scofflaws[C].ACM Press,1997.

[14] GREG NELSON.Systems Programming With Modula-3[M].Englewood Cliffs,New Jersey:Prentice Hall Series in Innovative Technology,Prentice Hall,1991.

[15] DEAN DREW.The Security of Static.Typing with Dynamic Linking[A].Fourth ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security[C].Zurich,Switzerland,1997.

[16] DEAN RICHARD DREWS.Formal Aspects of Mobile Code Security[D].Princeton University,1999.

[17] LUIS VALENTE.Safety in Telescript[EB/OL].http://www.catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/15.39.html#subj6,1994.

[18] GENERAL MAGIC.An Introduction to Safety and Security in Telescript[EB/OL].http://www.genmagic.com/Telescript/security.html,1995.

[19] SEARLE,JOHN R.Speech Acts[M].Cambridge,UK:Cambridge University Press,1969.

[20] SEARLE,JOHN R.The Philosophy of Language[M].Oxford,UK:Oxford University Press,1971.

[21] SEARLE,JOHN R,VANDERVEKEN DANIEL.Foundations of Illocutionary Logic[M].Cambridge,UK:Cambridge University Press,1985.

[22] CHANG M K,WOO C C.A Speech-Act-Based Negotiation Protocol:Design,Implementation,and Test Use[J].ACM Transaction on Information Systems,1994,12(4):360-382.

[23] FININ T.KQML as an Agent Communication Language[A].The Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management[C].ACM Press,1994.

[24] LABROU Y,FININ TIM.A Semantics Approach for KQML-A General Purpose Communication Language for Software Agents[A].The Proc.of the Third International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management[C].ACM Press,1994.

[25] ROBERT S GRAY.Agent Tcl:A Flexible and Secure Mobile-agent System.Proc.of the Fourth Annual Tcl/Tk Workshop (TCL 96)[EB/OL].http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~agents/papers/tcl96.ps.Z,1996.

[26] OUSTERHOUT JOHN,LEVY JACOB,WELCH BRENT.The Safe-Tcl Security Model[M].Sun Microsystems Laboratories,1996.

[27] RASMUSSON ANDREAS,JANSSON SVERKER.Personal Security Assistance for Secure Internet Commerce.New Security Paradigms'96 Workshop[EB/OL].http://www.sics.se/~ara/doc/NSP/NSP.html,1996.

[28] RASMUSSON LARS,JANSSON SVERKER.Simulated Social Control for Secure Internet Commerce.New Security Paradigms'96 Workshop[EB/OL].http://www.sics.se/~lra/nsp96/nsp96.html,1996.

[29] BROWNE SHIRLEY.Need for a Security Profile for Agent Execution Environments CIKM'95 Workshop on Intelligent Information Agents[EB/OL].http://www.cs.umbc.edu/%7ecikm/iia/submitted/viewing/browne.html,1995.

[30] SUN MICROSYSTEMS.The Java Language:An overview[EB/OL].ftp://ftp.javasoft.com/docs/java-overview.ps,1995.

[31] JOHANSEN DAG,RENESSE ROBERT VAN,SCHEIDNER FRED.An Introduction to the TACOMA Distributed System:Version 1.0.Technical Report:95-23,Department of Computer Science,University of Tromso[EB/OL].http://www.cs.uit.no/Lokalt/Rapporter/Reports/9523.html,1995.

[32] LINN J,KENT S,BALENSON D,etc.Privacy Enhancement for Internet Electronic Mail:Parts I-IV.Internet RFC 1421-1424[EB/OL].ftp://ftp.internic.net/rfc/rfc142[1-4].txt,1993.

[33] BRADEN R,CLARK D,CROCKER S,etc.Report of IAB Workshop on Security in the Internet Architecture.Internet RFC 1636[EB/OL].ftp://ftp.internic.net/rfc/rfc1636.txt,1994.

[34] FREIER ALAN O,KARLTON PHILIP,KOCHER OAUL C.The SSL Protocol:Version 3.0.Internet Draft[EB/OL].http://www.home.netscape.com/eng/ssl3/ssl-toc.html,1996.