Simple-to-use, Secure-by-design Networking in Ethos

We describe networking in Ethos, a clean-slate operating system we designed to meet the security requirements which arise on the Internet. Through careful layering, Ethos makes network encryption, authentication, and authorization protections compulsory. This means that application developers can neither avoid nor incorrectly use them, and system administrators need not audit their use. We show through a case study how Ethos reduces application complexity and makes it easier to write and deploy robust applications.