A Model-Based Framework for Security Policy Specification, Deployment and Testing

Tejeddine Mouelhi, Franck Fleurey, Benoit Baudry, Yves Le Traon. A Model-Based Framework for Security Policy Specification, Deployment and Testing. In Krzysztof Czarnecki, Ileana Ober, Jean-Michel Bruel, Axel Uhl, Markus Völter, editors, Model Driven Engineering Languages and Systems, 11th International Conference, MoDELS 2008, Toulouse, France, September 28 - October 3, 2008. Proceedings. Volume 5301 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 537-552, Springer, 2008. [doi]

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a model-driven approach for specifying, deploying and testing security policies in Java applications. First, a security policy is specified independently of the underlying access control language (OrBAC, RBAC). It is based on a generic security meta-model which can be used for early consistency checks in the security policy. This model is then automatically transformed into security policy for the XACML platform and integrated in the application using aspect-oriented programming. To qualify test cases that validate the security policy in the application, we inject faults into the policy. The fault model and the fault injection process are defined at the meta-model level, making the qualification process language-independent. Empirical results on 3 case studies explore both the feasibility of the approach and the efficiency of a full design & test MDE process.