Partitioning Communication System is a computer and communications security architecture based on an information flow separation policy. The PCS extends the four foundational security policies of a MILS (
Multiple Independent Levels of Security
Multiple Independent Levels of Security/Safety (MILS) is a high-assurance security architecture based on the concepts of separation and controlled information flow. It is implemented by separation mechanisms that support both untrusted and trustwo ...
) software architecture to the network:
* End-to-end Information Flow
* End-to-end Data Isolation
* End-to-end Periods Processing
* End-to-end Damage Limitation
The PCS leverages software separation to enable application layer entities to enforce, manage, and control application layer security policies in such a manner that the application layer security policies are:
* Non-bypassable
* Evaluatable
* Always-invoked
* Tamper-proof
The result is a communications architecture that allows a software separation kernel and the PCS to share responsibility of security with the application.
The PCS was invented by
OIS.
OIS collaborated extensively on the requirements for the PCS with:
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National Security Agency
The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collectio ...
*
Air Force Research Laboratory
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air Force Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of aerospace warfighting technologies, p ...
*
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The University ...
*
Lockheed Martin
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Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and ...
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Rockwell Collins
Rockwell Collins was a multinational corporation headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, providing avionics and information technology systems and services to government agencies and aircraft manufacturers. It was formed when the Collins Radio C ...
References
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Presentation at OMG Software Based Communications Workshop* {{cite web
, last = Beckwith
, first = R. William
, title = MILS Partitioning Communication System
, publisher = Objective Interface Systems, Inc.
, url = http://www.ois.com/pcs/
, url-status = dead
, archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928154531/http://www.ois.com/pcs/
, archivedate = 2007-09-28
Operating system security