Security Systems for Distributed Models in Ptolemy II

Ptolemy II is a powerful software package that models heterogeneous systems. Its infrastructure offers the ability to create distributed models, but lacks the security mechanisms to protect data being transferred in these models. The lack of security can lead to many potential threats and breaches of information. Potential attackers can jeopardize system stability by manipulating data in transit or by transmitting harmful models. Distributed models may also pass security sensitive data where outside parties should not be able to determine the information being passed. The current infrastructure however has no means to keep such information secure from eavesdropping. Eliminating these security threats requires the implementation of various cryptographic services including ciphers and digital signatures. The Sun Java Cryptography Architecture and Java Cryptography Extension packages provide the tools needed in eliminating these breaches of security. The semantics used by the abovementioned Java packages allow for the creation of actors in which a diverse number of algorithms can be used with minimal knowledge of cryptography. By creating Ptolemy II actors that implement cryptographic services, we achieve a flexible yet, powerful defense of potential security leaks in distributed models. The result is being able to send and receive data Ptolemy II distributed models without the concern of information leaks or receiving adverse applications.