HP Labs Technical Reports

Strongly Authenticated and Encrypted Multi-level Access to CMW Systems over Insecure Networks using the SSH Protocol

Dalton Chris, I.

HPL-98-99R1

Keyword(s): SSH; multi-level security; CMW

Abstract: This report looks at using the Secure Shell (SSH) remote login protocol to enable access to Compartmented Mode Workstation (CMW)[1] hosts from unlabeled clients such as WindowsNT hosts over insecure networks. After giving a brief introduction to the SSH protocol and describing one particular sample implementation, we look at some of the issues involved in porting that implementation to CMW. We then show how we have extended the SSH protocol to enable terminal access, file update and X11 from unlabeled clients not just at single but multiple sensitivity levels. We describe how we use the strong authentication properties of SSH to confidently map an external user identity to a sensitivity level or range of sensitivity levels within the CMW system.

17 Pages

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