Software Defined Radio (SDR) and Cognitive Radio (CR) are promising technologies, which can be used to alleviate the spectrum shortage problem or the barriers to communication interoperability in various application domains. The successful deployment of SDR and CR technologies will depend on the design and implementation of essential security mechanisms to ensure the robustness of networks and terminals against security attacks. SDR and CR may introduce entirely new classes of security threats and challenges including download of malicious software, licensed user emulation and selfish misbehaviors. An attacker could disrupt the basic functions of a CR network, cause harmful interference to licensed users or deny communication to other CR nodes. The research activity in this area has started only recently and many challenges are still to be resolved. This paper presents a survey of security aspects in SDR and CR. We identify the requirements for the deployment of SDR and CR, the main security threats and challenges and the related protection techniques. This paper provides an overview of the SDR and CR certification process and how it is related to the security aspects. Finally, this paper summarizes the most critical challenges in the context of the future evolution of SDR/CR technologies.

Security Aspects in Software Defined Radio and Cognitive Radio Networks: A Survey and A Way Ahead

A security device for SIP communications operates to inhibit the effect of malicious attacks and/or inadvertent erroneous events on the provision of SIP-based services within a private network and between private and public networks. The security device acts as a conventional Firewall, NAT and PAT to isolate SIP User Agents on the private network from SIP User Agents on the public network and to Blacklist undesired callers. Also, the security device preferably includes a virus scanner to scan attachments to sessions and/or other communications to identify and block virus contaminated data and the security device includes a hardened SIP stack to scan for and detect malformed SIP messages to prevent malicious attacks and/or inadvertent erroneous messages from adversely impacting the operation of SIP services.

System and method for providing security for SIP-based communications

A method, apparatus, system, and computer program product for management of storage devices protected by encryption, user authentication, and password protection and auditing schemes in virtualized and non-virtualized environments

Protected device management

A remotely provisioned proxy within a wireless/mobile phone that proxies a wireless communication path between a disconnected piconet (e.g., BLUETOOTH™) device and a network resource such as a universal resource locator (URL) via a mating mobile phone. Thus, an application proxy module embodied within the mobile phone provides managed access of a piconet device connected to the mating mobile phone to remote services. A disconnected piconet device uses the full data bandwidth available to a wireless phone, without the need for the disconnected piconet device to include its own separate wireless front end, or to require use of a modem within the mobile phone. Thus, using a mobile phone with application proxy, the user need not pay for the luxury of a tethered data plan.

Remotely Provisioned Wireless Proxy

A network browser has a Malware detection manager for direct or indirect scanning of files during an upload or download processes for viruses, adware, spyware, etc. The malware detection manager defines and employs a quarantine bin, which is an isolated and secure memory space or directory for temporary placement of file packets during the file transmission while malware detection can commence. The malware detection manager scans for any malware code associated with the packet sequence encountered during a file transmission to and from the Internet, during which it quarantines all the scanned packets in the quarantine bin. Quarantined files can be released if there is a human challenge authorizing the release of the file. The invention also comprises exchanging a Malware free signature between server and client via a trusted download center. If a certified and valid malware free signature is provided, the client device need not scan the files for malware bytes as the content is certified and guaranteed as malware-free.

Network browser based virus detection

A computing system contains and uses a partitioning microkernel (PMK) or equivalent means for imposing memory partitioning and isolation prior to exposing data to a target operating system or process, and conducts continuing memory management whereby data is validated by security checks before or between sequential processing steps. The PMK may be used in conjunction with an Object Request Broker.

Methods and systems for achieving high assurance computing using low assurance operating systems and processes

System and techniques for protecting wireless communication systems from blended electronic attacks that may combine wireless and computer attacks. One embodiment is an integrated hardware and software firewall/protection system that provides a protection scheme that may include an additional functional processing layer between the hardware firewall and a mobile terminal. This additional functional processing layer performs an extra layer of communications and security processing, including such features as management of Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) functions, key generation for firewall and virtual private network (VPN) functions, and packet inspection and filtering.

Achieving high assurance connectivity on computing devices and defeating blended hacking attacks

A software defined radio system having at least one radio core that has the ability to request or accept the delivery of a Reconfigurable Communications Architecture (RCA) compliant application(s), store the application(s), and has the minimum parts of the RCA framework necessary to run the application(s).

Lightweight, high performance, remote reconfigurable communications terminal architecture

Software defined radios (SDR) are rapidly becoming a mainstream technology for commercial, civil and military mobile terminals and wireless access points. Moreover, “wireless Internet” waveforms with weak security designs, such as IEEE 802.11 Wireless Fidelity (WIFI), a form of wireless local area network (WLAN), are becoming increasingly prevalent. Because WIFI enabled laptop computers and personal digital assistants (PDA) combine a radio and computing interface, they provide a useful case study examining potential dangers posed by hackers to networks of software defined radio terminals. Supported in part by a US Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract, we have conducted a system threat and requirements analysis for software defined radios (SDR) and wireless terminals (including non-SDR) employing WIFI. The study concludes that WIFI networks, including ubiquitous IEEE 802.11(b) “WIFI hot spots”, are subject to “blended attack” methods combining coordinated attacks on the radio and computer. The blended attacks threaten the integrity of a SDR radio system, the components of which are shown in Figure 1. This paper surveys the tools and blended attack methods used by hackers to attack and exploit WIFI equipped mobile terminals. The paper then examines parallels between the WIFI scenario and similar threats to software defined radio terminals and networks by wireless hackers. We conclude by proposing requirements and architectures for high assurance SDR. Figure 1. SDR Components. (SDR Use Cases – OMG swradio/2003-05-02)

/pdf/system-threat-analysis-for-high-assurance-software-defined-49os8oxsk6.pdf

System threat analysis for high assurance software defined radios

The United States Department of Defense has specified a CORBA based Software Communications Architecture (SCA) as part of a procurement specification for the family of Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Cluster radios. The JTRS Cluster radios require a high-assurance, secure architecture employing NSA Type 1 security, Common Criteria (CC) EAL 4+, and other stringent security architecture requirements [2]. The JTRS Cluster radio family includes embedded radios, such as Cluster 5, in which a fully featured, CORBA based SCA may not be economically or operationally feasible. In these situations, a lightweight SCA should be employed. This paper examines one approach – use of a remote waveform launcher – to dramatically reduce SCA run-time memory footprints required in the embedded radio component. The majority of the SCA resides on the remote host, typically a laptop computer of personal digital assistant (PDA). The remote host is less processorand memoryconstrained than the embedded radio(s), and more capable of hosting the SCA core framework (CF), operating environment (OE) and waveform resources. The launcher was prototyped using the open source SCA Reference Implementation (SCARI).

http://www.scatechnica.com/pdf/SCA_Remote_Launcher.pdf

David K Murotake

Papers

Methods and systems for achieving high assurance computing using low assurance operating systems and processes

Achieving high assurance connectivity on computing devices and defeating blended hacking attacks

Lightweight, high performance, remote reconfigurable communications terminal architecture

System threat analysis for high assurance software defined radios

A lightweight software communications architecture (sca) launcher implementation for embedded radios