Automated Security Tools

1. Korey Breshears Automated Security Tools

2. Overview • What are automated security tools? • Why do we need them? • What types of tools are there? • What problems do these tools have?

3. What is it? • Automated security tools are tools designed to enhance the security of a program automatically

4. Why do we need these tools? • Information is increasing at an unprecedented pace • It is time consuming to debug subtle bugs • Easier to maintain • Quicker code development • Reliability

5. Types of tools • Compiler/Translator • Toolkits/Frameworks • Stand alone programs

6. Compiler/Translator • Provide type safety for non type safe languages • Provide security for parallel programs • Ccured • SAFECode Project • Gcc known problem

7. CCured • CCured is a source-to-source translator for C • The translator itself is written in Ocaml (a dialect of ML) • Provides type safety for C program

8. SAFECode Project • Array bounds checking • Loads and stores only access valid memory objects • Type safety for a subset of memory objects proven to be type-safe • Sound operational semantics in the face of dangling pointer errors • Optional dangling pointer detection

9. Toolkits/Frameworks • Securibot framework • Provide built in functions for security • Access control policy generator

10. Stand alone program • Monitor stack and heap • Provide real time security

11. Issues with automation • Only known types of problems can be caught • The security program could miss a bug • The security program is only as strong as its algorithm

12. Conclusion • What automated security tools are and benefits to using them • Types of tools • Compilers/Translators • Toolkits/Frameworks • Stand alone Programs • Problems with automated tools

13. Questions?