Pattern-Based Design and Verification of Secure Service Compositions

Ensuring the preservation of security is a key requirement and challenge for Service-Based Systems (SBS) due to the use of third party software services not operating under different security perimeters. In this paper, we present an approach for verifying the security properties of SBS workflows and adapting them if such properties are not preserved. Our approach uses secure service composition patterns. These patterns encode proven dependencies between service level and workflow level security properties. These dependencies are used in reasoning processes supporting the verification of SBS workflows with respect to workflow security properties and their adaptation in ways that guarantee the properties if necessary. Our approach has been implemented by extending the Eclipse BPEL Designer and validated experimentally. The experimental evaluation has produced positive results, indicating that even for complex workflows and large sets of secure service composition patterns, verification can be performed efficiently.