Mobile Agents In An Insecure Environment

1. Franz Gruber Franz.gruber@scch.at+43 7236 3343 893 www.scch.at Mobile Agents In An Insecure Environment Tutorial IIWAS 2002, Bandung, 10 – 12 Sept 2002 Database Agents

2. Who am I? • Project Manager • Evaluation of Mobile Agent Platforms • Topics of research • Mobile and distributed systems • Wireless communictation technolgies Database Agents

3. Virtual Tutorial CD • http://www.scch.at/agents • All slides as PDF file • Source Code • Java Class Files • Grasshoppernot included due torestrictions - However, Grasshopper can be downloaded (evaluation and non-commercial licenses free) at http://www.grasshopper.de Database Agents

4. Overview • Introduction to agent technology • Definition • Classification • Standardization • Agent capabilites • Mobility • Communication and Cooperation • Security Database Agents

5. General Remarks • Prerequisites • None • Mobile Agents for Databases Using Grasshopper by Ludwig Klug • Conceptual 2nd part of this tutorial • Practical application of mobile agents in a database framework with demos Database Agents

6. Franz Gruber Franz.gruber@scch.at+43 7236 3343 893 www.scch.at Introduction to Agent Technology Database Agents

7. Agent-Based Computing Hype or Paradigm Shift? • “My guess is that agent-based computing will be what object-oriented programming was in the 1980s. Everybody will be in favor of it. Every manufacturer will promote his product as supporting it. Every manager will pay lip service to it. Every programmer will practice it (differently). And no one will know just what it is.” (Jennings, OOPSLA 2000) Database Agents

8. Strong Increase in Research Activities • 1st Int. Workshop on Agent Systems and Applications (WOA2000) • 1st Int. Workshop on Web Agent Systems and Applications (WASA 2000) • 2nd European Agent Systems Summer School (EASS 2000) • 2nd Int. Symposium on Mobile Agent Applications (MAA'2000) • 2nd Int. Symposium on Agent Systems and Applications (ASA 2000) • 4th Int. Symposium on Mobile Agents (MA 2000) Database Agents

9. Strong Increase in Research Activities • 4th Int. Conference on Autonomous Agents (Agents 2000) • 4th Int. Conference on Multi Agent Systems (ICMAS 2000) • 4th Int. Workshop on Cooperative Information Agents (CIA 2000) • 5th Int. Conference on Autonomous Agents (Agents 2000) • 6th ECOOP Workshop on Mobile Object Systems (ECOOP 2000) • 6th Int. Conf. on Information Systems, Analysis and Synthesis (ISAS 2000) • Agent-Oriented Information Systems (CAiSE 2000) Database Agents

10. Increased Availability of Systems • iGEN • Intelligent Agent Factory • JACK Intelligent Agents • JAM • Jumping Beans • LiveAgent • AgentBuilder • AgenTalk • Agentx • Aglets • Concordia • DirectIA • Gossip • Grasshopper Database Agents

11. Increased Availability of Systems • Voyager • Agent Factory • D‘Agents • Agent Tcl • TACOMA • Ascape • Bee-gent • MadKit • Microsoft Agent • NetStepper • Pathwalker • Swarm • UMPRS • Via Database Agents

12. Increased Availability of Systems • EXCALIBUR • Gypsy • Hive • Inforsiders • JADE • JAT • Mobiware • SOMA • MOLE • RETSINA • Zeus • Ara Database Agents

13. State of the Art: Overview • Definition and Classification • Definition • Classification • Agent Types • Standardization • Basic Characteristics Database Agents

14. Franz Gruber Franz.gruber@scch.at+43 7236 3343 893 www.scch.at Definition What is an agent? Database Agents

15. Definition • No unique definition in literature • Various classification schemes • Various characterizing features (mobility,...) Database Agents

16. Definition • Provisional Definition (Software Agents) “Software program that can do some defined action for a user, which has some kind of intelligence to give the ability to do part of its function autonomously and which can interact with its environment.“ Database Agents

17. Classification (I) • Classification by mobility • Mobile or not mobile? • Interaction capabilities • Deliberative or reactive? • Ideal attributes • Learning – autonomy – cooperation • Area of influence • Autonomy – intelligence - mobility Database Agents

18. Classification (II) Learning – Autonomy – Cooperation Database Agents

19. Classification (III) Area of Influence Database Agents

20. Classification (IV) Autonomy – Intelligence - Mobility Database Agents

21. Agent Types • Reactive Agents • Hybrid Agents • Heterogeneous Agents • Smart Agents • Collaborative Agents • Interface Agents • Mobile Agents • Information/Internet Agents Database Agents

22. Franz Gruber Franz.gruber@scch.at+43 7236 3343 893 www.scch.at Standardization Database Agents

23. Overview • FIPA • Foundation of Intelligent Physical Agents • Covers the whole range of agent software architecture • MASIF • Mobile Agent System Interoperability Facility • Covers only mobile agents • Convergences and differences Database Agents

24. FIPA Database Agents

25. MASIF Database Agents

26. Convergences & Differences • Convergence • Differences • FIPA: whole platform • MASIF: minimal definitions Database Agents

27. State of the Art: Overview • Definition and Classification • Basic Characteristics • Mobility • Communication and cooperation • Security and authentication • Information filtering and retrieval • Learning and planning • User modeling • Open issues Database Agents

28. Franz Gruber Franz.gruber@scch.at+43 7236 3343 893 www.scch.at Characteristic Properties Database Agents

29. Weak(data only) Mobility of agents • Ability of agents to move between computers • Agents: „move“ –> „migrate“ • Weak migration • Strong migration Strong(data and control) Database Agents

30. Weak(data only) Mobility of agents • Basic platform runtime required on each computer • Distribution of task when needed • Database queries within DBMS • Searching within network Database Agents

31. Communication • Communication • Protocols, Procedures • Agent communication languages • Knowledge Query and ManipulationLanguage (KQML) • FIPA-ACL • XML Database Agents

32. KQML Message (tell :sender sellerAgent :receiver fhBot :in-reply-to id333-222-289 :ontology ecbk12 :language Prolog :content “price(ISBN453276,20.98)” ) Database Agents

33. Cooperation • Contract-Net-Node Protocol Database Agents

34. Security and Authentication • Threats • Unauthorized disclosure of information(Confidentiality) • Denial of service (DoS) - availability • Corruption of information(integrity) Database Agents

35. Security and Authentication • Malicious Strategies • Agent attacking platform • Agent attacking agent • Platform attacking agent • Agent system attacking • Mechanisms • Encryption, SSL, PKI, Code Signing, Trusted Third Parties Database Agents

36. Information Filtering and Retrieval • Basics • Unstructured information • Different kinds and sources of information • Text representation • Free text search • Semantic approach • Information Filtering • Long-term information retrieval Database Agents

37. Information Filtering and Retrieval Database Agents

38. Learning and Planning Database Agents

39. Learning and Planning Database Agents

40. User Modeling • Simulation of user‘s preferences • Required for information filtering and retrieval • Creation of user profile • Initial profile • Observing user patterns and preferences • => Customized information search Database Agents

41. Fundamental Questions, However, Remain • What is the essence of agent-based computing? • Why are agents an appealing computational model? • What are the drawbacks of an agent-oriented approach? • What are the implications for future software architectures? Database Agents

42. Ongoing Research • Learning and planning capabilities • Distributed planning • Distributed knowledge collection and representation • User modeling • User preferences for information retrieval and filtering Database Agents

43. Ongoing Research • Communication and cooperation • Agent communication • Agent negotiations • Security • Encryption of data • Digital certificates Database Agents

44. Franz Gruber Franz.gruber@scch.at+43 7236 3343 893 www.scch.at Commercial Agent Platforms Selection Database Agents

45. Aglets Manufacturer: Open source (formerly IBM) Current Version: 1.1 JDK Version: 1.1.x Characteristics: many security features available easy to use GUI for administration of the agent platform book available; open source WWW http://www.aglets.org Database Agents

46. Grasshopper Manufacturer: IKV++ GmbH, Berlin, Germany Current Version: 2.2 JDK Version: 1.2.2 Characteristics: support for the current standard security concepts useful GUI for administration and monitoring of agents detailed documentation WWW http://www.grasshopper.de Database Agents

47. Jumping Beans Manufacturer: Ad Astra Engineering Current Version: 2.2 JDK Version: 1.2 Characteristics: security features are on a high level of maturity documentation not up-to-date migration of the agents is very slow thread problem using a GUI WWW http://www.jumpingbeans.com Database Agents

48. Soma Manufacturer: Laboratory of Advanced Research on CS, University of Bologna, Italy Current Version: 4.0 JDK Version: 1.2 Characteristics: main aspect in security and mobilityusing open standards like MASIF or FIPAno useful documentation available WWW http://www-lia.deis.unibo.it Database Agents

49. Franz Gruber Franz.gruber@scch.at+43 7236 3343 893 www.scch.at Using Agents For Real-World Applications Database Agents

50. Why Mobile Agents? • Real Deployment • Reduce Network Load • Overcome Network Latency • Synchronity and Asynchronity Database Agents