Cross Domain Controller (CDC)

The current, dominant approach to implementing secure boundary controls across networks for information exchange is the use of secure Guards. This technology consists of a separate computer system using a trusted operating system and hosting the guarding software and appropriate filters. By definition, the use of a Guard requires that networks be defined as "high side" and "low side" and the Guard system itself must reside within the "high side" domain. While this approach satisfies Department of Defense and Intelligence Community requirements, it has proven to be unworkable and cost prohibitive in the commercial network environment. Trident Systems proposes to leverage the existing technologies from the distributed computing research community and Trident expertise with cross-domain collaboration to develop the Cross Domain Controller (CDC). The CDC will be installed on each network and will eliminate the need for traditional Guard systems. It will provide a secure execution environment for cross-domain information exchange by enforcing the domain specific policies. The CDC system will provide services required to secure the communication medium (authentication, confidentiality, and access control) and capabilities to manage and customize security policies. Additionally, Trident Systems will leverage open source products where possible to minimize the cost for end users.