A State-Based Approach to Information Flow Analysis
Zi Xiao · Chinese Journal of Computers · 2006
Confidentiality is an important security requirement in many secure systems. However, access control mechanisms can’t completely make sure that confidential information never leaks out, because the mechanisms cannot prevent hidden information flow and confidential information can stealthily leak out. The authors outline a state-based approach to deciding whether hidden information flows exist. The main idea of the approach is to model secure systems as finite automata, and analyze the properties of information flow by studying the characteristic of the finite automata. Compared with the past works, the research is completely based on automaton model. Security policies in actual secure systems are usually described in automaton model or action rules convenient to be transformed into automaton model. Thus the results are more suitable to be directly used in actual systems. In addition, subsequent research following the works, such as eliminating hidden information flow, can easily go on.