Title :
Finite-state noiseless covert channels
Author :
Millen, Jonathan K.
Author_Institution :
MITRE Corp., Bedford, MA, USA
Abstract :
Covert channels in a multilevel secure computer system can be exploited by malicious software to compromise information. The maximum information rate of a known channel is determined by modeling the channel as a communications channel and calculating its capacity. The capacity of an important class of covert channels, finite-state noiseless channels with nonuniform transition times, is found by adapting a technique suggested by Shannon (1964)
Keywords :
information theory; security of data; telecommunication channels; communications channel; finite-state noiseless covert channels; malicious software; maximum information rate; multilevel secure computer system; nonuniform transition times; Communication channels; Communication system security; Computer security; Documentation; Guidelines; Information analysis; Information rates; Information security; Operating systems; Protection;
Conference_Titel :
Computer Security Foundations Workshop II, 1989., Proceedings of the
Conference_Location :
Franconia, NH
DOI :
10.1109/CSFW.1989.40590
