Control & Data Plane Security of High Performance Networks

High performance dynamic networks, which support scientific experiments with high bandwidth requirements, consist of a control plane and a data plane, neither of which, at present, is secure against cyber attack. Careless or malicious tampering with these networks could disrupt the network, invalidate data, and otherwise ruin experiments supported by the networks. Security measures ¿ fire walls, intrusion detection, etc. ¿ used with regular networks are inadequate to protect these high-performance networks, which run at 10 Gbps to 40 Gbps. Therefore, this project will develop robust, user-friendly security measures for both the control plane and the data plane, without sacrificing network speed, performance, or availability. The approach will utilize a software security system that relies on a network of intelligent agents. Phase I demonstrated the feasibility of using this system to protect control messages on a high performance network from cyber attack, with no loss of network speed, performance, or functionality. In Phase II, the system will be implemented on the same hardware used by real-world high-performance networks. Then, the system will be evaluated by an independent laboratory that will try to defeat the system. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The control and data plane security system should be applicable to the high performance networks now being used in several key government agencies. It is likely that these networks will become more widespread in the commercial environment as demand for high bandwidth increases