Document-Based Message-Centric Security Using XML Authentication and Encryption for Coalition and Interagency Operations
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Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive Theses and Dissertations Thesis Collection 2009-09 Document-based message-centric security using XML authentication and encryption for coalition and interagency operations Williams, Jeffrey Scott Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/4610 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS DOCUMENT-BASED MESSAGE-CENTRIC SECURITY USING XML AUTHENTICATION AND ENCRYPTION FOR COALITION AND INTERAGENCY OPERATIONS by Jeffrey Scott Williams Sr. September 2009 Thesis Advisor: Don Brutzman Second Reader: Don McGregor This thesis was done at the MOVES Institute Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED September 2009 Master’s Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Document-Based and Message-Centric Security Using 5. FUNDING NUMBERS XML Authentication and Encryption for Coalition and Interagency Operations 6. AUTHOR Jeffrey Scott Williams Sr. 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Naval Postgraduate School REPORT NUMBER Monterey, CA 93943-5000 9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME AND ADDRESS 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING Naval Postgraduate School, Modeling Virtual Environments and Simulations AGENCY REPORT NUMBER Institute, Monterey, California 93943 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited A 13. ABSTRACT Different agencies and different nations are not able to securely communicate and share structured information due to differences in security policies and data formats. The current evolution of security and data policies is not solving this fundamental problem. Document-based message-centric XML security can provide satisfactory security within a diversified communications framework between traditional and nontraditional partners by utilizing existing Web standards for XML canonicalization, XML digital signature, XML compression and XML encryption. Vulnerabilities related to the exchange of cryptographic technologies are minimized by strictly adhering to open-standards technology. This approach thus resolves multi-partner trust challenges in regards to using another entity's equipment, software, or policy requirements through the proper adoption of standards-based structured data and alternative cryptographic algorithms. Exemplar results demonstrated in this thesis show that XML Security is a feasible approach for operations that include multiple agencies and coalition partners. Alternative solutions are also available using proprietary technologies, but such approaches lock participants into commercial contracts, prohibit distribution and provide suspect capabilities. Therefore, they cannot attain interagency or international acceptance. Such methods involve the use of unique or proprietary message formats with customized encryption and compression algorithms that are not available for broad scrutiny by open source communities. Closed approaches cannot gain group trust. This thesis specifically investigates XML standardization methods for various categories of unclassified data to provide secure information exchange among a wide audience, e.g. multi-agency task force or multinational coalition partners. Using an XML document-centric approach is a helpful organizing principle for this problem that provides levels of security consistent with common business practices achieved, within the constraints of the respective organizational security policies of each participant. The resulting design patterns for XML document development enhance confidentiality, integrity, and authentication commensurate with the nature of the unclassified document generated, while maintaining information objects at an appropriate level of security and acceptable level of risk. 14. SUBJECT TERMS Extensible Markup Language (XML), Extensible Markup Language for 15. NUMBER OF Transformations (XSLT), Extensible Markup Language Security, Extensible Markup Language PAGES Encryption, Extensible Markup Language Digital Signature, Extensible Markup Language 229 Authentication 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY 18. SECURITY 19. SECURITY 20. LIMITATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION OF ABSTRACT REPORT PAGE ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UU NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239-18 i THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ii Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited DOCUMENT-BASED MESSAGE-CENTRIC SECURITY USING XML AUTHENTICATION AND ENCRYPTION FOR COALITION AND INTERAGENCY OPERATIONS Jeffrey Scott Williams Sr. Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy B.S. Computer Science, Morehouse College, 1996 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MODELING VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS AND SIMULATION (MOVES) from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL September 2009 Author: Jeffrey Scott Williams Sr. Approved by: Don Brutzman Thesis Advisor Don McGregor Second Reader Dr. Mathias Kölsch Chair, MOVES Academic Committee iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT Different agencies and different nations are not able to securely communicate and share structured information due to differences in security policies and data formats. The current evolution of security and data policies is not solving this fundamental problem. Document-based message-centric XML security can provide satisfactory security within a diversified communications framework between traditional and nontraditional partners by utilizing existing Web standards for XML canonicalization, XML digital signature, XML compression and XML encryption. Vulnerabilities related to the exchange of cryptographic technologies are minimized by strictly adhering to open-standards technology. This approach thus resolves multi-partner trust challenges in regards to using another entity's equipment, software, or policy requirements through the proper adoption of standards-based structured data and alternative cryptographic algorithms. Exemplar results demonstrated in this thesis show that XML Security is a feasible approach for operations that include multiple agencies and coalition partners. Alternative solutions are also available using proprietary technologies, but such approaches lock participants into commercial contracts, prohibit distribution and provide suspect capabilities. Therefore, they cannot attain interagency or international acceptance. Such methods involve the use of unique or proprietary message formats with customized encryption and compression algorithms that are not available for broad scrutiny by open source communities. Closed approaches cannot gain group trust. This thesis specifically investigates XML standardization methods for various categories of unclassified data to provide secure information exchange among a wide audience, e.g. multi-agency task force or multinational coalition partners. Using an XML document-centric approach is a helpful organizing principle for this problem that provides levels of security consistent with common business practices achieved, within the constraints of the respective organizational security policies of each participant. The resulting design patterns for XML document development enhance confidentiality, integrity, and authentication commensurate with the nature of the unclassified document generated, while maintaining information objects at an appropriate level of security and acceptable level of risk. v THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vi TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION AND PROBLEM STATEMENT...............................................1 A. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................1 1. Thesis Goal and Scope Use tab key ....................................................6 2. Security—How is it Defined within the Scope of the Thesis? .........6 3. Methodology .........................................................................................7 B. MEASURABLE SUCCESS GOAL ...............................................................8 C. THESIS QUESTIONS.....................................................................................8 D. INITIAL CONSTRUCT..................................................................................9 E. THESIS ORGANIZATION..........................................................................12 II. RELATED WORK ....................................................................................................15