Security issues of the Trusted Mach system

Trusted Mach (TMach) is a message-passing, server-oriented system being targeted at the B3 level of the Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria (TCSEC). The authors present a rationale for why these characteristics, and the TMach architecture that implements and embodies them, are compatible with B3 requirements. It is shown that the TMach TCB (trusted computer base), composed of a kernel (which implements basic system abstractions and mediates their access) and a collection of trusted servers, is structured to provide conceptually simple protection mechanisms. Least privilege and modularity are central to the server-oriented design of the system. Easy extensibility of the TMach TCB to provide trusted applications is an added benefit of the system structure.<
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