A security evaluation of a novel resilient web serving architecture: Lessons learned through industry/academia collaboration

We have previously developed a virtualization-based web serving architecture and a prototype to enhance web service resilience under cyber attack. The proposed system utilizes replicated virtual servers managed by a closed-loop feedback controller without humans in the loop. We have replicated the prototype at the Raytheon Company, which conducted a thorough penetration test and security examination. In this paper, we present the Resilient Web Service (RWS) and describe its security evaluation by Raytheon of a prototype implementation. We then present new research directions that address previous weaknesses and discuss the ongoing efforts of designing the next generation RWS architecture.