Low-level system software support for information security

计算机安全在我们高度依赖技术的社会中至关重要。 许多人依靠计算机系统开展业务，与朋友和家人沟通，并管理他们的个人信息。 不幸的是，我们目前的计算系统的安全性和安全性不足以满足人们对它们的信任。 建议的研究旨在加强电脑系统的保安。电脑系统的基础是由操作系统及其下的软件层等低层系统软件组成。加强这些低层软件的保安，不但可保障电脑基础设施的安全，但会降低收养成本，级软件，如应用程序和服务器完好无损。这项拟议的研究将通过探索机制和技术来实现这些目标，它可以被合并到两个低级别的系统层：操作系统内核和虚拟机监视器（VMM）。 VMM是在操作系统内核下运行的软件层。 该提案旨在通过三个主要研究方向来提高计算机系统的安全性。 其中一个重点是探索使用VMM创建安全容器，以保护关键软件和数据免受攻击。 另一个重点是探索使用VMM来检测和根除感染系统（包括操作系统）上关键软件的恶意软件。 最后的推力将利用当前的商品多核处理器，使操作系统内核更好地抵御攻击。 这项研究将为我们目前的计算基础设施提供一个更安全的基础，从而使企业、个人和政府对其计算系统的安全性和可靠性更有信心。

Computer security is of paramount importance in our highly technology-reliant society.  Many people rely on computer systems to conduct business, communicate with friends and family, and manage their personal information.  Unfortunately, the safety and security of our current computing systems is not adequate for amount of trust people place in them.  The proposed research aims to improve the security of our computer systems by securing the foundation upon which they run, which is composed of low-level systems software such as the operating system and the software layers below it.  Securing this low-level software will not only make our computing infrastructure secure, but will reduce the cost of adoption by leaving higher-level software such as applications and servers intact.This proposed research will achieve these goals by exploring mechanisms and techniques that can be incorporated into two low-level systems layers: operating system kernels and virtual machine monitors (VMM).  The VMM is software layer that runs underneath the operating system kernel.  The proposal will aim to improve computer system security through three main thrusts of research.  One thrust will explore the use of VMMs to create secure containers that will be able to protect critical software and data from attack.  Another thrust will explore the use of VMMs to detect and eradicate malicious software that has infected critical software on a system, including the operating system.  The final thrust will leverage current commodity multi-core processors to allow the operating system kernel to better fend off attacks.  This research will produce a more secure foundation for our current computing infrastructure, thus allowing businesses, individuals and governments to have more confidence in the safety and security of their computing systems.