Most cyber attacks aren’t new. Rather, they are new to the administrators encountering them. “The workforce isn’t well trained in these complex issues,” Jean Mayo explains. “One problem we encounter in education is that we cannot allow students to modify the software that controls an actual system—they can cause real damage.”
Our goal is to keep the data safe not only by controlling who has access, but by ensuring file integrity.
With support from the National Science Foundation, a team of Michigan Tech computer scientists teaches modern models of access control using visualization systems within user-level software.
Mayo and her team are also taking a fresh look at teaching students how to code securely. “The system we developed will detect when security is compromised and provide students with an explanation of what went wrong and how to fix it,” she adds.
File System Enhancement for Emerging Computer System Concerns
Mayo is applying existing firewall technology to file system access control. In her core research, she’s providing greater flexibility for administrators to determine when access is granted. “Using the firewall model to filter traffic content—like a guard standing by a door—we can add more variables to control file access, like time of day or location. It is more flexible, but also more complex—firewalls are familiar and help administrators navigate the complexity.”
Mayo is also developing a language for guaranteeing file security. “Our goal is to keep the data safe not only by controlling who has access, but by ensuring file integrity.” This system will disallow changes made to a file when the change doesn’t meet file specifications. “This helps to prevent users from entering incorrect data.”