Communications of the ACM
Defending Your Computer From Cyberattacks, Sun Tzu Style
A new operating system features inconsistent deception in order to help thwart cyberattacks.
Credit: University of Florida News
Deception has been used to thwart cyberattacks before, mostly in "honeypot" strategies, but what sets a new operating system (OS) apart is inconsistent deception.
Called Chameleon, the OS would run unknown programs that could be malware in a special unpredictable environment.
The OS would intentionally introduce some unpredictability to the way the malware operate, making the malicious process think it is in control but it is not. Known and trusted programs could be approved to run in a standard environment where they would function normally, while detected malware are sequestered in a third environment, called deceptive. In this facade environment, Chameleon would permit the malicious processes to continue to work in order to collect information, understand them, and then defeat them.
Researchers from the University of Florida, Stony Brook University, and the University of California, Davis are developing the OS, which is still in the conceptual phase.
University of Florida professor Daniela Oliveira says inspiration for the OS came in part from her interest in military strategists such as Sun Tzu. She says the OS would be well suited for a corporate environment.
From University of Florida News
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