Vulnerabilities Analysis

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CCR-0311723Vulnerabilities AnalysisMatt BishopThis project will develop and test a new classification schemefor security vulnerabilities in existing computer systems andsoftware. A vulnerability exists when a system meets certainconditions, the precise conditions dictating the nature of thevulnerability. The classification scheme will be based upon theseconditions. The goal of this research is to: (1) determinewhether every vulnerability has a unique, minimally-sized setof such conditions; (2) determine whether vulnerabilities sharethese conditions; and (3) determine whether, for a large enoughset of vulnerabilities, the number of conditions is less thanthe number of vulnerabilities. The methodology will be toexamine vulnerabilities in open source systems and programs, anddetermine the exact conditions under which a vulnerabilitycan be exploited. The expression of the conditions will be refinediteratively, as more is learned about the conditions needed toexploit vulnerabilities.The significance of this work is that it will lead to a deeperunderstanding of why vulnerabilities occur in systems, how todetect them, and how to prevent them. Its broader impact is that,if the hypotheses are true, negating conditions on a system couldeliminate vulnerabilities not known at the time. Vendors andsecurity analysts would be able to use the approach we will developto test systems for vulnerabilities more readily than the current,hit-and-miss methods. Finally, this work would provide amore rigorous basis for developing and teaching methods ofwriting programs with fewer vulnerabilities than occur now.