DOCSLIB.ORG

Specification and Verification of an Attribute-Based Usage Control Approach for Open and Dynamic Computing Environments

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Specification and Verification of an Attribute-Based Usage Control Approach for Open and Dynamic Computing Environments Specification and Verification of an Attribute-based Usage Control Approach for Open and Dynamic Computing Environments Christos Grompanopoulos Department of Applied Informatics University of Macedonia This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2014 i This Dissertation Advisory Committee (DAC) consists of the following members (listed alphabetically): • Professor Athanasios Manitsaris (Dept. of Applied Informatics, University of Macedonia, Greece.) • Assistant Professor Christos Georgiadis (Dept. of Applied Informatics, University of Macedonia, Greece.) • Associate Professor Ioannis Mavridis (PhD Supervisor) (Dept. of Applied Informatics, University of Macedonia, Greece.) This Dissertation Defence Committee (DDC) consists of the following members (listed alphabetically): • TODO I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my family, for their love, endless support and encouragement. Acknowlegements First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to my supervisor, Associate Professor Ioannis Mavridis. His guidance and support all these years and during the completion of this dissertation have been invaluable. Even in difficult times, a meeting with him always reinvigorated my enthusiasm and raised my spirits. I am also extremely grateful to the members of my dissertation committee, Professor Athanasios Manitsaris and Assistant Professor Christos Georgiadis, for their time and dedi- cation in reviewing my work and for their advice throughout my dissertation. I would also like to thank my colleague and friend Antonios Gouglidis at the Department of Applied Informatics of the University of Macedonia, for sharing his thoughts and feelings during the completion of this laborious but very rewarding journey. Finally, I would also like to take this opportunity and express my profound gratitude to my parents and all of my family for their continuous support and encouragement. Abstract Computing systems are always evolving in order to keep pace with the requirements that are posed by new computing environments. The widespread of networking technologies transformed the standalone computer model into the client-server computer model. Social trends as frequent traveling and social networking, led to the creation of small-sized com- puting devices that are equipped with sensors to recognize their surrounding environment and adapt accordingly their operations. Therefore, novel computing modes are emerged, as ubiquitous computing and the Internet of Things. The aforementioned type of systems set new requirements in several areas, including also the area of security. Security is an area of great importance in all computing systems. From a computer security, and particularly from an access control point of view the evolution of computing systems induces the creation of Open and Dynamic Computing Environments (ODCE). They are characterized as open since there are no boundaries between the legitimate and illegal users of a system. And dynamic since the configuration of these systems is constantly changing. Despite theim- portance of access control in ODCE there are a few proposals that addressed their analysis and identification of new requirements. Therefore, also existing access control modes are not able to fully support these requirements. In this dissertation, we analyze existing access and usage control approaches to identify a number of unique characteristics posed by ODCE. Secondly, we formally define an attribute based usage control model for ODCE that is designed based on the identified requirements. Last but not least, we check the proposed model for its correctness, i.e., the adherence of v the model to its initially defined specifications. Specifically, we provide information on the RBAC, ABAC and UCON models, which are mostly applicable in the examined case of ODCE. The presented work on the specifi- cation of models renders the aforementioned information valuable regarding the modeling of access or usage control systems since it can help in the identification of required specifi- cations of access/usage control models for ODCE, and further, it examines state-of-the-art models and verification techniques to check the correctness of the designed or produced models in respect to their initial specifications. In turn, we highlight through representative usage scenarios the additional requirements that are introduced when attempting to utilize the UCON family of models in modern computing environments. To meet the require- ments posed by ODCE, the proposed UseCON model incorporates a number of significant features compared with existing access/usage control models. Firstly, UseCON’s extended expressiveness over the existing usage control models is the result of utilizing information originating from either a single or a set of both direct and indirect entities in the creation of the usage allowance decision. Secondly, UseCON inherently supports the utilization of historical information of usages through the automatic management of use entities. We further elaborate on the enhanced expressiveness in UseCON. A number of examples are given to demonstrate the enhanced capabilities of the UseCON model. The simplification of the policy administration process and the support of enhanced policy rules regarding their expressiveness, are included in the advantages of the proposed model. Furthermore, we provide a safety analysis of UseCON’s formal TLA+ specification to prove the correctness of the UseCON model. The verification of consistency, safety and liveness properties for the core model and its internal operations for correctness was done by providing a formal specification of the UseCON model in TLA+, and using the TLC model checker. Lastly, we provide information on the declaration of models in TCL and elaborate on some perfor- mance metrics and in the internal procedures of the TCL model checker. Contents Contents vi List of Figures ix List of Tablesx 1 Introduction1 1.1 Motivation . .2 1.2 Objectives . .4 1.3 Research areas . .5 1.3.1 Requirement analysis . .6 1.3.2 Specifications modeling . .6 1.3.3 Formal verification . .7 1.4 Structure of the dissertation . .7 2 Background9 2.1 Introduction . .9 2.2 Open and Dynamic Computing Environments . 10 2.3 Access control models . 11 2.3.1 Role based access control (RBAC) . 13 2.3.2 Attribute based access control (ABAC) . 16 2.3.3 Usage control (UCON) . 17 2.4 Specification and verification of systems . 21 2.4.1 Specification fundamentals . 21 2.4.2 Verification techniques . 22 2.4.3 Model checking . 24 2.5 Specification and verification in TLA+ . 26 2.6 Related work on the specification and verification of UCON . 29 Contents vii 2.7 Chapter summary . 32 3 Requirements analysis 33 3.1 Introduction . 33 3.2 Access control requirements . 35 3.3 A critique on existing access control solutions . 38 3.3.1 Security characteristics of entities . 38 3.3.2 Contextual information . 40 3.3.3 Historical information of usages . 41 3.4 Chapter summary . 45 4 The proposed model 47 4.1 Introduction . 47 4.2 A brief description . 47 4.3 Specification of UseCON in TLA+ . 50 4.3.1 Basic elements . 51 4.3.2 Transition systems . 58 4.4 Example of a policy specification . 64 4.5 Chapter summary . 70 5 Evaluation 72 5.1 Introduction . 72 5.2 Model characteristics . 72 5.2.1 Abstraction of actions . 73 5.2.2 Utilization of usage information . 77 5.3 Model properties . 80 5.3.1 Use management . 80 5.3.2 An example policy . 83 5.4 Chapter summary . 85 6 Formal verification 86 6.1 Introduction . 86 6.2 Model checking with TLC . 87 6.2.1 Use management . 88 6.2.2 An example policy . 90 6.3 Discussion . 93 Contents viii 6.4 Chapter summary . 97 7 Conclusions 98 7.1 Summary of the contributions . 98 7.2 Future work . 100 7.3 Closing remarks . 101 Appendix A TLA+ source code 102 Appendix B Publications 122 References 125 List of Figures 2.1 The core RBAC model (Ferraiolo et al., 2003). 13 2.2 Basic ABAC scenario (Hu et al., 2014). ................... 18 2.3 Components of the UCON model (Park and Sandhu, 2004). 19 2.4 Family of UCON sub-models. 20 2.5 Transition system . 23 2.6 The model checking process (Baier and Katoen, 2008)........... 25 4.1 Accomplishment status of a single usage . 49 4.2 UseCON usage control system . 50 4.3 Use attributes updates during the exercise of a usage in UseCON . 57 4.4 Transition system of a single usage pre-authorization UseCON model . 59 4.5 Transition system of a single usage ongoing authorization UseCON model . 59 4.6 Transition system of a multiple usage pre-authorization UseCON model . 63 4.7 Transition system of a multiple usage ongoing authorization UseCON model 65 4.8 Examples of usage-revoking strategies . 68 5.1 Sequence of messages for action negotiation . 75 5.2 Violation of safety properties . 82 6.1 Model declaration in TLC . 91 6.2 Deadlock violation results in TLC . 94 6.3 Verification results in TLC . 95 List of Tables 2.1 Comparison of related works . 32 3.1 Utilization of decision criteria in UCON . 44 3.2 An analysis of challenging issues of UCON in ODCE . 46 5.1 Safety and liveness properties in UseCON . 83 6.1 Verification results for UseCON models . 96 Chapter 1 Introduction Technological innovations are constantly transforming the architecture of computer sys- tems. For example, the widespread of networking technologies transformed the standalone computer model into the client-server computer model. Moreover, social trends like fre- quent traveling and social networking, led to the creation of small-sized computing devices (e.g., PDA’s) that are equipped with sensors to recognize their surrounding environment and adapt accordingly their operations. Consequently, novel computing modes are emerged, as ubiquitous computing (Weiser, 1994, 1999), or the Internet of Things (Atzori et al., 2010), Cloud (Foster et al., 2008) and Grid computing environments (Foster et al., 2001). From a computer security, and particularly from an access control point of view, the evolution of computing systems induces the creation of Open and Dynamic Computing Environments (ODCE) (Kagal et al., 2006).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Specification-Oriented Semantics for the Refinement of Real-Time Systems
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Elsevier - Publisher Connector Theoretical Computer Science 131 (1994) 219-241 219 Elsevier A specification-oriented semantics for the refinement of real-time systems David Scholefield and Hussein Zedan Formal Systems Research Group, Department of ComputerScience, University of York, Heslington, York, UK He Jifeng Programming Research Group. Oxford University, Keble Road, Oxford, UK Communicated by I. Mitrani Received November 1992 Revised February 1993 Abslract Scholefield, D., H. Zedan and H. Jifeng, A specification-oriented semantics for the refinement of real-time systems, Theoretical Computer Science 131 (1994) 2199241. A refinement calculus for the development of real-time systems is presented. The calculus is based upon a wide-spectrum language called the temporal agent model (TAM), within which both functional and timing properties can be expressed in either abstract or concrete terms. A specifica- tion-oriented semantics for the language is given. Program development is considered as a refine- ment process, i.e. the calculation of a structured program from an unstructured specification. A calculus of decomposition is defined. An example program is developed. 1. Introduction The formal development of a computer system is traditionally separated into four tasks: the formulation of a specification, the formulation of a design, verification between specification and design, and the translation of the design into an implemen- tation. In real-time systems, verification must take into account both functional correctness and the timeliness of results - a consideration which adds further com- plexity to an already difficult task. Correspondence to: D.
    [Show full text]
  • Removing Redundant Refusals: Minimal Complete Test Suites for Failure Trace Semantics
    Removing Redundant Refusals: Minimal Complete Test Suites for Failure Trace Semantics Maciej Gazda Robert M. Hierons Department of Computer Science Department of Computer Science University of Sheffield, UK University of Sheffield, UK Abstract—We explore the problem of finding a minimal com- in which no action in X is enabled. Most work uses ioco [21] plete test suite for a refusal trace (or failure trace) semantics. or one of its variants; see [22] for an overview. In ioco, an Since complete test suites are typically infinite, we consider the observation is a trace that can contain instances of quiescence: setting with a bound ` on the length of refusal traces of interest. A test suite T is thus complete if it is failed by all processes that the situation in which the system under test (SUT) cannot contain a disallowed refusal trace of length at most `. produce output or change state without first receiving input. The proposed approach is based on generating a minimal com- The ioco test theory assumes that the SUT cannot refuse inputs plete set of forbidden refusal traces. Our solution utilises several (is input-enabled) and the environment cannot block outputs, interesting insights into refusal trace semantics. In particular, which is why quiescence is the only type of refusal. we identify a key class of refusals called fundamental refusals which essentially determine the refusal trace semantics, and the A refusal of a set X is observed through the tester offering associated fundamental equivalence relation. We then propose a the actions in X and subsequent deadlock (detected through small but not necessarily minimal test suite based on our theory, a timeout).
    [Show full text]
  • A Comprehensive Survey of Trends in Oracles for Software Testing
    1 A Comprehensive Survey of Trends in Oracles for Software Testing Mark Harman, Phil McMinn, Muzammil Shahbaz and Shin Yoo Abstract—Testing involves examining the behaviour of a system in order to discover potential faults. Determining the desired correct behaviour for a given input is called the “oracle problem”. Oracle automation is important to remove a current bottleneck which inhibits greater overall test automation; without oracle automation, the human has to determine whether observed behaviour is correct. The literature on oracles has introduced techniques for oracle automation, including modelling, specifications, contract-driven development and metamorphic testing. When none of these is completely adequate, the final source of oracle information remains the human, who may be aware of informal specifications, expectations, norms and domain specific information that provide informal oracle guidance. All forms of oracle, even the humble human, involve challenges of reducing cost and increasing benefit. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of current approaches to the oracle problem and an analysis of trends in this important area of software testing research and practice. Index Terms—Test oracle; Automatic testing; Testing formalism. F 1 INTRODUCTION undecidable problem. For example, attempting to cover all branches [6], [10], [16], [64], [77], Much work on testing seeks to automate as [159], [177] in a system under test can never be much of the test process as practical and de- complete because branch reachability is known sirable, in order to make testing faster, cheaper to be undecidable in general [192]. and more reliable. In order to automate testing, The problem of generating test inputs to we need an oracle, a procedure that determines achieve coverage of test adequacy criterion what the correct behaviour of a system should has been the subject of research interest for be for all input stimuli with which we wish nearly four decades [48], [106] and has been to subject the system under test.
    [Show full text]
  • Interval Temporal Logic
    Interval Temporal Logic Antonio Cau and Ben Moszkowski 2021-04-09 HTML version of the ITL home page Abstract Interval Temporal Logic (ITL) is a flexible notation for both propositional and first-order reasoning about periods of time found in descriptions of hardware and software systems. Unlike most temporal logics, ITL can handle both sequential and parallel composition and offers powerful and extensible specification and proof techniques for reasoning about properties involving safety, liveness and pro- jected time [134]. Timing constraints are expressible and furthermore most imperative programming constructs can be viewed as formulas in a slightly modified version of ITL [125]. Tempura provides an executable framework for developing and experimenting with suitable ITL specifications. In addi- tion, ITL and its mature executable subset Tempura [157] have been extensively used to specify the properties of real-time systems where the primitive circuits can directly be represented by a set of simple temporal formulae. In addition, Tempura has been applied to hardware simulation and other areas where timing is important. 1 Contents 1 Finite Interval Temporal Logic3 1.1 Syntax............................................3 1.2 Semantics..........................................3 1.3 Derived Constructs......................................5 1.4 Propositional proof system..................................7 1.5 First order proof system...................................7 2 Finite and Infinite Interval Temporal Logic8 2.1 Syntax............................................8
    [Show full text]
  • Issue 2005 2 June 2005
    , . Issue 2005-2 FACS June 2005 A FM E C A A C ~v1 L F (~ T ~J1 ETHODS C 1 BCS R S(:S(: M S Z A UM L I FM SI G E E E E E BCS The Newsletter of the Formal Aspects of 6 FACS Computing Science (FACS) Specialist Group ISSN 0950-1231 , " -40 , . FACS FACTS Iss ue 2005-2 June 2005 :~::;'::i(t::·::!:\,,: h\boJi EACS.FACTS .. '::':--'}U},;"";",::,:::: '}::::-::/:W::::::'" :,:':':t\i{\, '::;:=/';tt::-:· . , . EAG,sFACi,s[ I S$N:Q950~12311 U S ! h ~ Q~W~letter . of ·ihe BQ$ Specialist · (Sfoup 8h .·· FpribaIAsp~ Cts ·otCornputihg ·S§ience(FACS}; 'FACSFAGTS.• is· dfstributed in electronic form !ball FACS members. · .... A~from ';605 : FACS ?A hs ~ lii ' b~ ~clbl: g~~a foJ~\iinesayea 6 Mar c ti : • June; September and December. Submissions are always welcome .. p l g<!s~seetQe <3d¥~rt.. .or1 page2~fo r fU~herde! <! i ls of·yisil thenew§lg!ter .•.• areaOfthe FACS websile [ http: //www .bcs ~facs . org/newsletterr .. .. ............ .- ... -..... -,'- . Back issU~s . of FAGSFA GTS~re avai l ~ bl e t6 .downlda d frorTE The FACS FACTS Tea m . ..,., . Newsletted ::ditor . Paul B6ca [editor@fac;sfacts ci nfol Editori.al Team J61lathanBowerl,J udith Ca rlton, John Cooke; . Kevin Lano., Mike Siannett Colu rn nist~.i •. ' Din es Bj0rn er (The •~ ai l waY.oClm a i r1) ...•. Judith Carlton(Puzzles) " ....... ... Contribqtors .to t h.isJsSU€) ; Dines Bj0mer, Eerke Boiten, Jonathan . Bowen , Judith Ca ri ton, Roger Carsley, J o hn . D E! r ri 9~• . George E lef~er<;lki§ ; J ose ; Fiade i ro , Joh n F i tzg~ta l d, Carroll Morgan, Fiona Polack, F.X.
    [Show full text]
  • Interval Temporal Logic
    Interval Temporal Logic Antonio Cau, Ben Moszkowski and Hussein Zedan Software Technology Research Laboratory December 6, 2007 HTML version of the ITL home page ITL-course: A not so short introduction to ITL Abstract Interval Temporal Logic (ITL) is a flexible notation for both propositional and first-order reasoning about periods of time found in descriptions of hardware and software systems. Unlike most temporal logics, ITL can handle both sequential and parallel composition and offers powerful and extensible specification and proof techniques for reasoning about properties involving safety, liveness and projected time[15]. Timing constraints are expressible and furthermore most imperative pro- gramming constructs can be viewed as formulas in a slightly modified version of ITL [25]. Tempura provides an executable framework for developing and experimenting with suitable ITL specifications. In addition, ITL and its mature executable subset Tempura [9] have been extensively used to specify the properties of real-time systems where the primitive circuits can directly be represented by a set of simple tempo- ral formulae. In addition, various researchers have applied Tempura to hardware simulation and other areas where timing is important. 1 Syntax The key notion of ITL is an interval. An interval σ is considered to be a (in)finite sequence of states σ0; σ1 :::, where a state σi is a mapping from the set of variables Var to the set of values V al. The length jσj of an interval σ0 : : : σn is equal to n (one less than the number of states in the interval (this has always been a convention in ITL), i.e., a one state interval has length 0).
    [Show full text]
  • Community Engagement
    Community Engagement Annual Report 2016-2017 2 2 2 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2016 - 2017 PREPARED FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OFFICE APPLIED SCIENCE UNIVERSITY Copyright © 2017 by Applied Science University All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher. NOVEMBER 2017 3 4 CONTENTS UNIVERSITY VISION, MISSION, OBJECTIVES AND VALUES VISION The vision of Applied Science University is to be one of the leading private universities supporting practical learning and scientific research in Bahrain and the Gulf. MISSION ASU is committed to offering an education that is accessible to academically competent students of Bahrain, the Gulf and beyond, and to deliver academic programmes of quality that graduate students equipped with knowledge and skills relevant locally and regionally. ASU is further dedicated to the promotion of a culture of learning and scientific research for its students, staff and faculty regionally and globally to engage meaningfully with the community at large. OBJECTIVES · To acknowledge social responsibility and to serve the local and regional community. · To enhance a superior scientific research standard in all fields of knowledge. · To offer new specializations to meet the market demands. · To maintain abreast of scientific development and to provide all the means of academic success. VALUES · Integrity: ASU’s community values honesty, fairness and academic integrity as fundamental to its vision and mission. It recognizes, affirms and upholds this value in a responsible and committed manner. · Collaboration and Team Spirit: ASU’s community recognizes collaboration and team spirit to be at the heart of the institutional culture and to promote these values in a dedicated manner.
    [Show full text]
  • June 2005 a C T S
    Issue 2005-2 FACS June 2005 A C T S The Newsletter of the Formal Aspects of Computing Science (FACS) Specialist Group ISSN 0950-1231 FACS FACTS Issue 2005-2 June 2005 About FACS FACTS FACS FACTS [ISSN: 0950-1231] is the newsletter of the BCS Specialist Group on Formal Aspects of Computing Science (FACS). FACS FACTS is distributed in electronic form to all FACS members. As from 2005, FACS FACTS will be published four times a year: March, June, September and December. Submissions are always welcome. Please see the advert on page 23 for further details or visit the newsletter area of the FACS website [http://www.bcs-facs.org/newsletter]. Back issues of FACS FACTS are available to download from: http://www.bcs-facs.org/newsletter/facsfactsarchive.html The FACS FACTS Team Newsletter Editor Paul Boca [[email protected]] Editorial Team Jonathan Bowen, Judith Carlton, John Cooke, Kevin Lano, Mike Stannett Columnists Dines Bjørner (The Railway Domain) Judith Carlton (Puzzles) Contributors to this Issue: Dines Bjørner, Eerke Boiten, Jonathan Bowen, Judith Carlton, Roger Carsley, John Derrick, George Eleftherakis, José Fiadeiro, John Fitzgerald, Carroll Morgan, Fiona Polack, F.X. Reid, Paola Spoletini, Marcel Verhoef, Jim Woodcock 2 FACS FACTS Issue 2005-2 June 2005 Contents Editorial 4 FACS AGM, 27 April, London 5 ZB2005 Conference Report 10 REFINE2005 Conference Report 17 Train Domain Column 19 Blocking Publication: An Adventure in Destructive Refereeing 24 An Example Railway Domain 29 Book Announcements 40 PhD Abstracts 41 Conference Announcements 45 Job Adverts 48 Formal Methods Coffee Time 49 And Finally 52 FACS Committee 53 3 FACS FACTS Issue 2005-2 June 2005 Editorial Jonathan Bowen, BCS-FACS Chair Welcome to another varied FACS FACTS Newsletter, ably compiled by Paul Boca.
    [Show full text]
  • Formal Specification of Scientific Applications Using Interval
    5 Formal Specification of Scientific Applications Using Interval Temporal Logic BOJANA KOTESKA and ANASTAS MISHEV, University SS. Cyril and Methodius, Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering, Skopje LJUPCO PEJOV, University SS. Cyril and Methodius, Faculty of Natural Science and Mathematics, Skopje Scientific applications simulate any natural phenomena in different scientific domains. Moreover, the problems they solve are usually represented by mathematical models. Taking that in advance, these problems can be described by using specific formal notation and mathematical formulas. Scientific applications are usually created by the scientists without using any software development engineering practices. Our main goal is to include formal methods in the testing process of scientific applications. In this paper, we adapt Interval Temporal Logic (ITL) as a flexible notation for describing software applications. We use Tempura framework and Ana Tempura tool for specifying the properties of the scientific software system. The correctness of the code is verified by comparing the results from the program output and functions written in Tempura. This process is especially important when some code changes or optimizations are made. To verify this concept we made a formal description of the code for calculating bound states of the Morse oscillator well. Categories and Subject Descriptors: D.2.4 [Software Engineering]: Software/Program Verification —Validation, Formal Meth- ods; G.4 [Mathematics of Computing]: Mathematical Software—Certification and testing, Documentation, Verification General Terms: Verification Additional Key Words and Phrases: Scientific application, Formal Specification, Interval Temporal Logic, Ana Tempura, Morse Oscillator 1. INTRODUCTION Scientific applications are widely used nowadays in different scientific domains. Numerical simulations performed by scientific applications can solve problems in many research fields such as: computational chemistry, physics, engineering, mathematics, mechanics, informatics, bioinformatics, etc.
    [Show full text]
  • The Developer Factor in Software Privacy
    The Developer Factor in Software Privacy Mohammad Tahaei Doctor of Philosophy School of Informatics University of Edinburgh 2021 Abstract Computer programming operates and controls our personal devices, cars, and infrastructures. These programs are written by software developers who use tools, software development platforms, and online resources to build systems used by billions of people. As we move towards societies that rely on computer programs, the need for private and secure systems increases. Developers, the workforce behind the data economy, impact these systems’ privacy, and consequently, the users and society. Therefore, understanding the developer factor in software privacy provides invaluable inputs to software companies, regulators, and tool builders. This thesis includes six research papers that look at the developer factor in software privacy. We find that developers impact software privacy and are also influenced by external entities such as tools, platforms, academia, and regulators. For example, changes in regulations create challenges and hurdles for developers, such as creating privacy policies, managing permissions, and keeping user data private and secure. Developers interactions with tools and software development platforms, shape their understanding of what privacy means, such as consent and access control. Presentation of privacy information and options on platforms also heavily impact developers’ decisions for their users’ privacy, and platforms may sometimes nudge developers into sharing more of their users’ data by using design (dark) patterns. Other places developers learn about privacy include universities, though they may not learn how to include privacy in software. Some organisations are making efforts to champion privacy as a concept inside development teams, and we find that this direction shows promise as it gives developers direct access to a champion who cares about privacy.
    [Show full text]
  • A Model-Driven Architecture Based Evolution Method and Its Application in an Electronic Learning System
    A Model-Driven Architecture based Evolution Method and Its Application in An Electronic Learning System PhD Thesis Yingchun Tian Software Technology Research Laboratory De Montfort University October, 2012 To my husband, Delin Jing and my mum, Ning Zhang for their love and support Declaration Declaration I declare that the work described in this thesis was originally carried out by me during the period of registration for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at De Montfort University, U.K., from October 2008 to December 2011. It is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at De Montfort University. Apart from the degree that this thesis is currently applying for, no other academic degree or award was applied for by me based on this work. I Acknowledgements Acknowledgements For many years I had been dreaming about receiving a PhD, I would like to thank many people who helped me in achieving this dream in different ways since I undertook the work of this thesis. My deepest gratitude goes to my supervisor, Professor Hongji Yang, for his guidance, support and encouragement throughout my PhD career. He always provided me with many invaluable comments and suggestions for the improvement of the thesis. I am grateful for his leading role fostering my academic, professional and personal growth. Many thanks go to Professor Hussein Zedan and Doctor Wenyan Wu, for examining my PhD thesis and providing many helpful suggestions. My research career will benefit tremendously from the research methodologies to which Professor Zedan and Doctor Wu introduced me. I would like to thank colleagues in Software Technology Research Laboratory at De Montfort University, for their support and feedback, and for providing such a stimulating working atmosphere, Professor Hussein Zedan, Doctor Feng Chen, Doctor Amelia Platt, Doctor Antonio Cau, and many other colleagues.
    [Show full text]
  • Set-Based Models for Cryptocurrency Software
    Set-Based Models for Cryptocurrency Software Gustavo Betarte1, Maximiliano Cristi´a2, Carlos Luna1, Adri´an Silveira1, and Dante Zanarini2 1 InCo, Facultad de Ingenier´ıa, Universidad de la Rep´ublica, Uruguay. {gustun,cluna,adrians}@fing.edu.uy 2 CIFASIS, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina. {cristia,zanarini}@cifasis-conicet.gov.ar Abstract. Emin G¨un Sirer once said3: It’s clear that writing a robust, secure smart contract requires extreme amounts of diligence. It’s more similar to writing code for a nuclear power reactor, than to writing loose web code [. ] Yet the current Solidity language and underlying EVM seems designed more for the latter. Formal methods (FM) are mathematics-based software development meth- ods aimed at producing “code for a nuclear power reactor”. That is, due application of FM can produce bug-free, zero-defect, correct-by- construction, guaranteed, certified software. However, the software in- dustry seldom use FM. One of the main reasons for such a situation is that there exists the perception (which might well be a fact) that FM increase software costs. On the other hand, FM can be partially applied thus producing high-quality software, although not necessarily bug-free. In this paper we outline some FM related techniques whose application the cryptocurrency community should take into consideration because they could bridge the gap between “loose web code” and “code for a nuclear power reactor”. 1 Introduction Given that cryptocurrency software deals with virtual money, software errors can produce irreparable loses. Furthermore, they are a valuable target of highly skilled attackers. Therefore, if a cryptocurrency software has an exploitable vul- arXiv:1908.00591v1 [cs.SE] 1 Aug 2019 nerability chances are that attackers will eventually use it to steal money.
    [Show full text]